Names out, BJP now pacifies dejected Himachal Pradesh leaders

SHIMLA

: Having announced candidates for all four seats in

Himachal Pradesh

, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is now pacifying leaders who have been denied tickets this time.


To pacify party men unhappy with ticket distribution, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur met a leader in Delhi and was scheduled to meet former Union minister Sukh Ram in Mandi on Sunday.

In Hamirpur, three-time MP Suresh Chandel is sulking and is reportedly in touch with Congress. Chandel, in the past, has won from Hamirpur in 1998, 1999 and 2004. This time too, he was seeking the BJP ticket, but party leadership fielded MP Anurag Thakur. If Chandel switches sides before polls, it could be troublesome for BJP.

Jai Ram said he met Chandel in Delhi and was able to pacify him. The CM added a detailed discussion was held with Chandel and there was no possibility of his leaving the party. In Mandi, Sukh Ram was demanding a ticket for grandson Aashray Sharma, but BJP ignored him. Aashray had even toured the constituency.

Sukh Ram is a three-time MP from Mandi, having been elected in 1981, 1991 and 1996. Ignoring Sukh Ram could be troublesome for BJP as a section within the party is already questioning candidate and serving MP Ram Swaroop Sharma’s performance, a source in the party said.

In Mandi, the party also ignored the claims of former MP Maheshwar Singh, who has won three elections from here — in 1989, 1998 and 1999. Jai Ram said he was going for discussions to Mandi to meet Sukh Ram, and that the former Union minister would stick with BJP.

Leaders in other constituencies are unhappy too. In Shimla, the party ignored sitting MP Virender Kashyap and another ticket claimant, BJP state election coordinator H N Kashyap. In Shimla, Virender Kashyap had opened the BJP’s account by winning the seat in 2009 and again in 2014.