Scramble begins in BJP for ticket, leaders huddle in Shimla
BJP has built a positive atmosphere in country and it is natural for aspirants to stake claim for tickets. The party cannot stop them. JAI RAM THAKUR, Himachal CM
SHIMLA:THREE days after the core group of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Himachal Pradesh pushed for renominating all sitting MPS in the upcoming Lok Sabha election, the party’s legislature party huddled in a closedoor meeting on Saturday to discuss a new strategy amidst the rising number of claimants for ticket.
The meeting, that lasted for nearly three hours, was presided by chief minister Jai Ram Thakur besides other senior leaders.
“The meeting has been convened to discuss the poll strategy. We have gathered suggestions from legislators for the upcoming parliamentary elections. BJP has built up a positive atmosphere in country and it is natural for aspirants to stake claim for tickets. One cannot stop them,” Thakur said. State party president Satpal Singh Satti said the decision to renominate all the four Lok Sabha members was unanimously taken by party’s core group.
“They have all worked well. The final decision regarding the candidates would rest with party’s parliamentary board. The tickets for Himachal will be finalised on February 22,” he said. BJP is likely to release the first list of candidates on Sunday. The party also warned action against aspirants staking claims for tickets in media. While discussing the roadmap ahead of polls, party leaders directed the respective legislators to ensure that the contesting candidate secures more votes than previous elections in all the four seats-shimla, Mandi, Kangra and Hamirpur.
In 2014, off total 68 assembly segments, BJP secured lead in 59 with vote share of 53.3%.
On the other hand, Congress candidates, leading in only 9 segments recorded a vote share of 40.7%. During the meeting, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, who heads the BJP legislature party, underplayed the pressure being mounted by many leaders as they stake claim to the four Lok Sabha seats, particularly Mandi, as the sitting Lok Sabha member, Ramswaroop Sharma shares close proximity with Thakur.
Former Union minister Sukhram’s grandson Ashray Sharma has also expressed his desire to contest from Mandi, the home district of chief minister. His father, Himachal power minister Anil Sharma, had joined the BJP ahead of 2017 assembly elections. Former Lok Sabha member and scion of Kullu’ royal family Maheshwar Singh has also staked claim for party ticket from the same constituency.
He was elected to Himachal Pradesh assembly in 1977 and again in 2012.
Another BJP ticket aspirant is Kargil war hero Brigadier (Rtd) Kushal Thakur, who has been leading an agitation for the past four years against “low compensation” paid to farmers for the land acquired for the four-laning of the Nagchalamanali stretch of Kiratpur-manali highway.
Former IAS officer HN Kashyap, another ticket aspirant, has expressed hope that the party would consider the survey conducted by the high command. Kashyap is keen to contest election from Shimla.