Caught in a crisis of sorts after a rebellion within its ranks, the Congress in Himachal Pradesh finds the situation a little too complicated for comfort in the Lok Sabha elections slated in the hill state for June 1.
A big challenge for the party is the selection of candidates for four of its Lok Sabha seats, especially after HP Congress Committee (HPCC) president and sitting MP from Mandi Pratibha Singh withdrew from the battlefield after declaring the situation 'unfavourable.’
Singh’s contention that party workers were not active as they were ignored by the leaders did not help at this crucial time, especially with the by-elections due for the six Assembly segments vacated after the Congress rebels’ disqualification.
Party sources said the HPCC chief’s move to exit the battleground did not go down well within the party rank and file, though Singh has said that contesting for the Mandi Lok Sabha seat will limit her role. She wants to work in the larger playing field of the six Assembly seaconstituencies where, she feels, the Congress desperately needs wins to stabilise the state government.
Apart from Pratibha Singh, party sources say a few other senior leaders from the Mandi and Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituencies been unwilling to contest the LS polls, which was forcing the leadership to look for new faces.
A few MLAs were being considered earlier, but the idea was dropped in view of the dwindling numbers in the Assembly after disqualification of the six rebel MLAs.
“The party has shortlisted some names. However, the final call would be taken by the high command on the tickets after looking into the situation on ground as it develops. The party may go in for a survey to know the potential of shortlisted candidates as polls in HP are in the last phase on June 1, 2024,” the HPCC chief said.
Himachal Pradesh has four Lok Sabha seats: Kangra, Mandi, Shimla (reserved) and Hamirpur. The BJP had won all the four seats in the 2014 and 2019 polls. The Congress later wrested the Mandi seat, left vacant after the demise of sitting MP Ram Swaroop Sharma, in a by-poll in 2021.
Opposition leader and former BJP CM, Jai Ram Thakur, has said that the BJP will register a victory in all the four seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, adding that the Congress Party was not getting candidates this time round to contest.
“The big leaders are shying away as they fear the worst defeat of the Congress in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, which is imminent due to the people-friendly policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the entire country,” he said.
The BJP has finalised the names of sitting MPs Anurag Thakur from Hamirpur and Suresh Kashyap from Shimla (reserved). Both of them have started canvassing for votes.
The party has yet to decide on candidates for the Mandi and Kangra Lok Sabha seats. Brig (retd) Khushal Thakur, who lost the Lok Sabha by-poll in Mandi to Pratibha Singh by a slender margin of over 8,000 votes in 2021, is hoping for another chance to contest from the same seat. Speculation is also rife about a ticket being allotted to Bollywood actor Kangna Ranaut from there.
BJP sources said till some time back Thakur’s name was also doing the rounds in the constituency. However, with the Congress and the BJP stuck playing the numbers game in the state Assembly, the former CM, an MLA from the Seraj Assembly segment, might not jump into the Lok Sabha battle this time.
In Kangra, BJP has a sitting MP Kishen Kapoor, but his name is yet to be cleared.
As the party was still weighing its options in the Mandi and Kangra seats the BJP had held back the names of candidates so far, party sources said.
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