|
Himachal poll scene : Both Congress, BJP face rebels problem |
 |
Both the major political parties in Himachal Pradesh, the Congress and the BJP are facing trouble from rebels, who refused to withdraw their nomination papers on the last day of withdraw¬al, Monday, Dec.3 for 65 non-tribal seats of the state Assembly. Several leaders of the Congress and the BJP are fighting the elections as Independents or have joined Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party, Ramvilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party, or Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party.
The BJP, which is facing this problem more than any other party, had to expel at least a dozen of its prominent leaders on Monday, Dec. 3, after efforts to persuade them to withdraw in favour of the party nominees failed. These include some former Ministers and MLAs.
The party has accepted the resignation of former Minister Karan Singh, a prominent BJP leader from Kullu who is now fight¬ing the election as a BSP candidate from Banjar. Former Minister Roop Dass Kashyap has been expelled for six years for fighting as an independent candidate from Kusumpati near Shimla.
The BJP’s Chief Minister-designate Prem Kumar Dhumal himself tried to persuade Kashyap over the phone but the latter refused to budge.
From the Congress, senior leader Dharm Pal Thakur from Arki, former MLA Natha Singh from Dharmpur, Sanjay Rattan from Jawala¬mukhi, Prem Kashaul from Mewa and Bambhar Thakur from Bilaspur have refused to withdraw in favour of the official party candi¬dates. These candidates, who have been expelled from the party, are being supported by one faction or the other, said sources.
|
