MANALI: To minimize the damage, the state Congress has appointed expelled leader Dharamveer Dhami as
HPCC general secretary.
He withdrew his nomination as an Independent candidate after getting the party post on Thursday.
On Monday, Dhami had accused CM
Virbhadra Singh of making a fool of him by taking Rs 25,000 for party ticket and membership. On Thursday, HPCC president
Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu not only appointed him as general secretary but also made him election in charge for Kullu und Mandi constituencies.
“I was upset with the Congress. But now I will work for the party. BJP leaders make false commitments. I will work hard for party so that we form government one more time,” he said.
On the other hand, another Congress leader
Prem Sharma
joined BJP and withdrew his nomination in the favour of BJP candidate Govind Singh Thakur.
Interestingly, five out of six independent candidates in Manali had withdrawn their nomination by Thursday, the last day for withdrawal. Mahender Thakur, Hukam Chand and Mohan Lal, all from BJP, have dropped out in support of the party’s official candidate. Rashtriya Azad Manch candidate from Anni Bishan Dass has also withdrawn.
Meanwhile, politics has gone personal in Manali where politicians have started mudslinging. Dhami accused two-times MLA and BJP candidate Govind Thakur of buying buses and a hotel in recent years instead of bringing development to his constituency.
Govind responded by calling Dhami “rejected maal of all the parties”. “He has no existence and his decades-old dream to become MLA has been shattered. I will sue him in the court for defamation,” he added.
Besides BJP and Congress candidates, Manali has a candidate from BSP and one Independent. Kullu has one candidate from Rashtriya Azad Manch and one Independent. Banjar too has one candidate from BSP and Anni has one candidate from Makpa.
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