BJP’s daunting task: Fighting defection, discontent
With the Congress mired in a leadership crisis, the upcoming assembly elections in the hill state, at first, seemed to be a walk in the park for the ruling BJP, but the saffron party is battling its own daunting demons – discontentment and defections.
With just four months to go for the polls, the BJP, which was confident of ‘Mission Repeat’ in the hill state, has found itself in a disarray in the blink of an eye. The first fissure appeared earlier this month when former state party president and deputy speaker Khimi Ram defected to the Congress on July 12 – a move the BJP leadership did not see coming.
While the former saffron party leader had clarifies that he had not switched political loyalties out of “anger for the BJP,” people close to him said Ram, once a trusted lieutenant of former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, was feeling sidelined in the BJP.
By the time the top BJP leadership swung into damage-control mode, the saffron party had already received another rude jolt with Indu Verma, a prominent face in the apple belt of Shimla, jumping ship to the Congress. The widow of Rakesh Verma, a three-time legislator from Theog, Indu has been member of the BJP’s state executive, served as president of the party’s women’s wing (Mahasu unit), and has been elected to the Zila Parishad twice.
Storm clouds gather in Kangra
More trouble seems to be brewing for the BJP in Kangra, which is electorally the most significant district in the state, sending 15 legislators to the 68-member house, with former minister Ravinder Singh Ravi defiantly declaring that he will fight the assembly elections, whether the BJP gives him a ticket or not.
Ravi, a staunch loyalist of former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, has served five terms in the Vidhan Sabha since 1993 – four times from Thural and once from Dehra after his home turf was reserved in a delimitation exercise and renamed Jaisinghpur. The tidings of revolt from the five-time MLA may spell doom for the BJP as it is an oft-repeated maxim in the political corridors of the hill state that the road to Shimla passes through Kangra.
It was the induction of Independent candidate Hoshyar Singh, who beat the five-term MLA in 2017, into the BJP that ruffled Ravi’s feathers. It is being speculated that Ravi may join the Congress as he is keen to contest the upcoming polls from Sulah. However, he is still keeping his cards close to his chest.
Jawalamukhi MLA and former minister Ramesh Dhawala is also on the warpath against the BJP leadership. Dhawala, a loyalist of former Himachal chief minister Shanta Kumar, was instrumental in the formation of the BJP government in 1998. He was the lone independent legislator and was made a minister by Congress’ Virbhadra Singh. He, however, joined the BJP, causing the Congress government to topple within two weeks. The party’s state organising secretary Pavan Rana, has also been explicit his intent to contest the polls at any cost.
Disgruntled legislators’
The long list of disgruntled BJP leaders includes former ministers Gulab Singh Thakur and Roop Singh Thakur, former MP Maheshwar Singh, former minister and former Baijanth MLA Dulo Ram.
Seven-term former legislator from Jogindnagar, Gulab Singh, the father-in-law of Union minister Anurag Singh Thakur, is peeved over being ignored by the current dispensation and the induction of Prakash Rana, an independent legislator from Jogindernagar, into the BJP.
Ranbir Nikka, who contested on a BJP ticket in the 2012 assembly elections from Nurpur, has already launched his election campaign. He is set to give a tough fight to incumbent forest minister Rakesh Pathania on his home turf.
In Dharampur of Mandi district, Narender Attri, a former student leader and another Dhumal loyalist, is ready to challenge Jal Shakti Minister Mahender Singh.
Congress leaders have been quick to claim that the BJP’s house is not in order with its leaders keen to get off the saffron party’s bandwagon. Pradesh Congress Committee chief Pratibha Singh has said, “More leaders from the party (BJP) may join anytime.”
Meanwhile, BJP general Secretary Trilok Jamwal said, “All our leaders follow the directions of the BJP. These issues will be discussed in the party forum.”