In Himachal’s Mandi parliamentary constituency, where Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur’s reputation is at stake, the roles of the family of former Union minister Sukh Ram, and the sidelined, silent leaders of power BJP, have become important.
Former power minister in Jai Ram Thakur government and BJP MLA from Mandi Sadar Anil Sharma Thakur and BJP state in-charge Avinash Rai Khana are still not campaigning for party candidate Brigadier Khushal Thakur.
In Kullu district, ticket contender and former MP Maheshwar Singh was also sidelined. He is campaigning in favor of BJP candidate, but in limited area in the district.
Former state BJP president and former MLA from Banjar in Kullu district Khimi Ram is also not active in this by-election. A few days ago, state BJP in-charge Avinash Rai Khanna met both Maheshwar Singh and Khimi Ram and urged them to campaign.
There are four assembly constituencies in Kullu district- Banjar, Kullu, Manali and Ani. In the 2017 elections, the BJP had won three seats except Kullu, from where Congress MLA Sunder Singh Thakur had won. Congress leader from Kullu Bhuvneshwar Gaur said, “The silence of these big leaders of BJP will definitely help the Congress candidates.”
In Mandi district, there are ten assembly constituencies which were all won by the BJP and one independent, who later supported the BJP in the assembly. In the 2017 assembly elections, Sukh Ram and his family supported the BJP and Sukh Ram’s son Anil Sharma contested on a BJP ticket and won by a margin of more than 10,000 votes. He was given the post of Power Minister in the Jairam government.
But in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Anil Sharma’s son Ashray Sharma contested from Mandi seat on a Congress ticket. Ashray and his grandfather Sukhram joined the Congress. After this BJP forced Anil Sharma to resign from the post of minister. He was not allotted government accommodation in the Vidhan Sabha.
Asked whether he would campaign for the BJP, Anil Sharma said he would keep quiet, and if the Jairam government and the BJP had something for him, he could go there among the people and seek votes. “I just wanted an assurance that in the next one year all development projects will be started in my constituency,” he said. I was told that a decision in this regard would be taken at the high command level.
Sharma said he would decide what to do after these elections. “Before taking any decision, I will go to my supporters and get their consent,” he said.
Interestingly, Congress appointed Ashray Sharma as election observer for Mandi parliamentary constituency. He said that the votes of nine assembly constituencies of Mandi district would matter in this election. He said that Congress is in a better position in Mandi Sadar and Karsog assembly constituencies.
At first he was reluctant to campaign for the Congress candidate, but later, Holy Lodge (Shimla residence of former CM Late Virbhadra Singh) approached him and he started campaigning. He said that he will follow the instructions of the party.
Tribal Affairs Minister Ram Lal Markanda in Lahaul Spiti district has also been sidelined for the last one and a half years. The Agriculture Department was taken from him, due to which there is a lot of resentment among his supporters.
In Kinnaur district, BJP leader Tejwant Singh Negi, who last contested on a BJP ticket and lost his seat by only 120 votes, was also sidelined by the government. Negi said he had collapsed in August and is now on bed rest. “If I was medically fit I would have definitely worked for the party. I am helpless,” he said.
However, his supporters said that the BJP posters did not even have Negi’s pictures.
There are 17 assembly constituencies under Mandi parliamentary constituency, out of which nine are in Mandi district, four are in Kullu district. Apart from this, Rampur assembly constituency in Shimla district, Bharmour in Chamba district and Kinnaur and Lahaul Spiti are two others. Rampur, Bharmour, Kinnaur and Lahaul Spiti are strongholds of the Congress party.
A BJP insider said CM Thakur and his “most powerful minister” Mahendra Singh Thakur are focusing on all nine constituencies in Mandi district.
Polling for the three assembly constituencies Arki, Fatehpur and Jubbal Kotkhai and Mandi parliamentary constituencies will be held on October 30.
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