Ticket race: Congress candidates almost final, BJP still in a fix

Saffron party is facing problem of plenty as half a dozen aspirants are pushing their case

DHARAMSHALA : With bypolls to Dharamshala and Pachhad assembly constituencies just a month away, the race for ticket has grown intense in both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition Congress.

Dharamshala and Pachhad seats fell vacant after sitting legislators Kishan Kapoor and Suresh Kashyap were elected to the Lower House of Parliament in May this year.

While many leaders are lobbying for the ticket in both the BJP and the Congress, things are more complicated in the saffron party which is facing the problem of plenty as at least half a dozen aspirants are pushing their case.

Soon after the Election Commission announced the date for bypoll on Saturday, many aspirants made a dash for the national capital Delhi. Others are already camping in Delhi for the past many days.

The situation is a bit comfortable for the Congress with its nominees almost certain. Still, the state Congress chief has invited applications from the aspirants on September 23 and 24.

Meanwhile, the BJP is contemplating to convene a meeting of its state election committee to discuss the names of candidates and finalise the nominee.

In the Congress, AICC secretary and former minister Sudhir Sharma is the only big face on the list of contenders.

Names of sitting Dharamshala mayor Devinder Jaggi and Youth Congress leader Vijay Inder Karan have also been doing rounds.

While Sharma is banking on the development works carried out in Dharmashala during his previous tenure as a legislator, Karan is seeking ticket on the basis of him being a local.

Among the front runners is Umesh Dutt, a former general secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of RSS.

He has strong links in the RSS and the BJP national leadership. Dutt has been lobbying quietly. BJP had given him a ticket in 2017 assembly polls, but dropped his name after Kishan Kapoor revolted.

Another contender is Sanjay Sharma, a former ABVP activist who is a director in Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association and also spokesperson of the sports body. Sharma is close to BJP working president JP Nadda. Their camaraderie dates back to Sharma’s college days when he was leading Mandal Commission protests in Kangra. Sharma has been shuttling between Delhi and Dharamshala ever since the Lok Sabha elections got over.

Kangra Cooperative Bank chairman Rajeev Bhardwaj and BJP state media co-incharge are among other prominent faces in the ticket race. Both are close to former chief minister Shanta Kumar and expect the veteran leader to back the candidature of either of them.

For Pachhad, the Congress seems to be settled on the name of former assembly speaker Gangu Ram Musafir. He has a record of seven straight wins from 19822007. The BJP managed to breach his fortress in 2012, but no Congress leader holds sway like him. In the BJP, there are many contenders.

Ashish Sikta, a former ABVP leader has emerged as a front runner, who is basking in his strong campaign on social media.

STATE CONG CHIEF HAS INVITED APPLICATIONS ON SEPT 23 AND 24; BJP MULLS OVER CONVENING MEETING OF ITS POLL PANEL TO DISCUSS NAMES OF CANDIDATES