Nurpur, November 30
In a sudden move, the BJP high command has changed its nominee for the Gangath Assembly constituency in this subdivision. The party had already allocated its ticket to Anita Dhiman, who had filed her nomination papers on Thursday, which led revolt-like-situation in the local BJP cadre.

The cadre and BJP’s local unit was in favour of the candidature of former MLA Des Raj. In this elections, the BJP has repeated its history of the 1998 Assembly elections when the high command had given ticket to Manohar Dhiman, husband of Anita, and changed its candidate at an eleventh hour and declared Des Raj its nominee. Des Raj filed his nomination papers today, which has increase the possibility of the revolt by the supporters of Anita.

Confirming the change of party’s nominee, state BJP president Jai Ram Thakur told the The Tribune that the party high command had taken decision of changing candidates of Gangath and Mandi Sadar Assembly segments. He pointed out that in Mandi Sadar D. D. Thakur had replaced Praveen Kumar with the latter’s reluctance to contest elections.

Similarly, the Congress had to change its nominee a few hours before the closing of the nomination papers in the Gangath constituency (SC). The party’s declared candidate Bodh Raj, former local MLA, had filed his nomination papers on Thursday.

According to state PCC chief Vipolve Thakur the party had to change its nominee in the wake of the judgement of the Supreme Court that came today in which Bodh Raj has been declared as non SC. She revealed that the apex court had reserved its judgement against an appeal. She said Krishan Kumar, a son of former MLA Dhinu Ram, had filed his nomination papers today on behalf of the Congress.

Caption: Changed nominee of the BJP Des Raj, a former MLA, files his nomination papers from Gangath (SC) Assembly constituency on Friday.

Shimla, November 30
The nominations for 65 seats in the second phase of the assembly poll came to a close today with as many as 154 candidates filing their papers today, taking the total number of nominations to 435.

The nominations filed today are : Rampur- Kewal Ram (BSP), Rohru- Randhir Ranta and Surinder (Both BSP), Govardhan Chauhan (LJP), Jubbal Kotkhai- Bhupy Sawant (BSP), Pratap Chauhan (LJP), Chopal-Anant Ram (NCP), Kumarsain - Om Prakash Sharma (LJP), Theog- Kamla Chhabra (BSP), D.R.Verma(BJP), Shimla- Adarsh Sood and Ashwini Sood( Both NCP), Rajesh Sharma (LJP), Surinder Singh Rajput (Shiv Sena), Madan Singh Rana (Ind), Kusumpti- Asha Kashyap (BJP), Ranjit Kumar(Shiv Sena), Roop Ram (Ind).

Arki-Pradeep Kumar (LJP), Padam Chand Verma (SP) and Deep Chand Sharma (CPI),

Doon- Prem Sagar and Rachna Devi (Both SP), Ajit Singh (BJP) and Ram Kumar (Cong)

Nalagarh- Ram Avtar (BJP), Gurbakshah (LJP), Gurnam Singh and Man Singh (Both SP).

Kasauli- Raghu Raj (Ind), Solan- Rajesh Jindal and Rajiv Arora (Both BSP), Dev Raj (Ind), Shilai- Kedar Singh Jindan (NCP), Nathu Ram Chuahan (LJP), Paonta Doon-Vandan Rani (SP), Nahan - Sushant Singh (BSP), Ram Kumar (Rashtriya Garib Dal), Kot Kehloor- K.K. Kaushal (BSP), Ghumarwin- Shri Ram (LJP), Budhi Singh, Gurcharan Singh,Kashmir Singh and Naveen Sharma (All Ind), Geharwin-Sukhdev (LJP) Rajesh Kumar and Dile Ram (Both Ind).

Nadaun- Sukhwinder (Cong), Prabhat Chaudhari (BSP), Vijay Kumar and Des Raj (Ind),

Hamirpur- Naridner Thakur (BJP), Hardyal Phool (LJP).

Bamsan- Raj Kumar (LJP), Mewa (SC) - Ranjit Kumar (LJP), Prem Kaushal (Ind), Nadaunta- Baldev Sharma and Rajesh (Both BJP), Tulsi Ram , Raj Kumar and Subhash Dhatwalia (All Ind).

Gagret(SC)- Balbir (BJP), Chintpurani-Narinder Singh and Ramesh Chaudhari (Both BJP), Rakesh Kalia and Rakesh Chaudhari (Both Cong), Joginder Singh (CPI) and Jagjit Singh (Ind).

Santokhgarh-Vijay Joshi and Suresh Lata (Both BSP), Jagroop Chaudhary and Praveen Kumar (Both BJP) and Lekh Raj (LJP), Una- Sat Pal and Subhash Sahore (BJP)

Kutlehar - Ramnath Sharma (Cong),Virender Kumar and Manohar Lal (Both BJP), Nurpur- Sat Mahajan(Cong ), Ravinder Kumar(LJP), Gangath(SC)- Des Raj (BJP),Kewal Krishan (Cong) and Kamal Devi(BSP)

Jawali-Aman Kumar (LJP), Dilawar Singh (Ind), Guler- Subhash Chand (LJP), Pragpur (SC)- Rajender Kumar (BSP), Preetam Sheriay (LJP)

Jwalamukhi-Vijay Kumar(Ind),Thural- Khshi Ram Bhuria (LJP)

Rajgir (SC)- Vidya Devi (BSP), Sher Singh (LJP), Raj Kumar,Ram Saran and Birbal (All Ind).

Baijnath - Gian Chand(LJP) Suresh Rana(NCP) and Dhani Ram(Independent )

Palampur- Praveen Sharma (BJP) and Ramehs Singh(SP), Kesar Singh (LJP) and Suraj Raj (Ind).

Sulah- Lekh Raj (LJP) Ramesh Singh (Ind), Nagrota -Bhag Singh(BSP), Deepak Sharma (LJP), Shahpur- Balbir Singh(Ind)

Dharamsala- Atul Bhardwaj(LJP), Kamlesh Kumar(Ind), Kangra - Amar Singh(ABHMS), Raj Kumar and Rajesh Nanda (Both Ind).

Bhatiyat - Kudeep Pathania (Cong), Kalu Ram (BSP), Brij Lal (BJP)

Banikhet- Renu Chaddha (BJP), Lokinanad Sharma (BSP), Bodh Raj (Ind )

Rajnagar (SC)- Mohan Lal (BJP), Dinesh Kumar and Sanyogita ( Both BSP),

Chamba- Nand Lal (LJP), Vineet Puri(BSP).

Kulu- Dharam Vir Dhami (BSP), Banjar- Karam Singh (BSP), Rakesh Vaidya and Ramesh Kumar (Ind), and Dila Ram (LJP), Ani- Sohan Lal (BJP), Nand Lal (Bhartiya Bahujan Party).

Nachan (SC)- Roshan Lal (BSP), Chet Ram (SP),Tulsi Ram (LJP), Pasu Ram (BJP)

Kasog -Mansa Ram and Pradeep Kuamr (Both BJP), Sundernagar- Beli Ram (Ind).

Balh- Dev Kant(LJP), Sant Ram (BSP), Saju Ram (Ind), Gopalpur- Sushila and Munshi Ram(Both BSP), Maheshwar Singh(LJP), Dharampur - N.K. Bhardwaj(BSP)

Jogindernagar - Gulab Singh (BJP), Rajinder Kumar (LJP), Ashwini Kumar (Ind)

Drang- Gursharan Singh (LJP)nd Tej Ram (BSP), Mandi - Harish Chand Sharma (Ind), D.D.Thakur (BJP), and Marari Lal (BSP).

Una, November 30
Besides targeting the BJP, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today also flayed the Election Commission for holding early elections in the state.

He said the commission had created constitutional crises in the state. The decision to hold elections in December was taken without taking the state government into confidence. “I was aboard holding discussion with a World Bank team to get loan sanctioned for the state’s power projects, while the decision to hold elections was taken by the commission,” he said.

“This is for the fourth time during my stint as the CM that the Congress government has not been allowed to complete its tenure in the Assembly. Now if the new government is elected and I intend to continue as the CM till March 9, there is no legal provision to remove me from the chair. In that eventuality, there would be two elected governments in the state,” he said.

BJP leader Prem Kumar Dhumal had already started behaving as the CM, he said. BJP leaders are threatening officials. “However, Shimla is still far away from them,” he said.

He also accused the BJP of trying to divide the state on geographical and communal lines.

He also presented a data on development projects carried out by the Congress government.

He accompanied two of his party candidates, Varinder Gautam from Una and Mukesh Agnihotri from Santoshgarh, while they went to file their nomination papers.

When Mukesh Agnihotri came to file his nomination, he was accompanied by thousands of supporters. His procession that moved slowly towards the Una mini secretariat led to a traffic jam on the Una-Dharmasala road for more than an hour.

Later, he addressed two political rallies at Una and Galuwal in the Santoshgrah constituency. At Galuwal, PPCC president Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and Punjab Congress leaders Rana K.P. Singh and Ramesh Dutt Sharma also accompanied the CM.

Rajinder Kaur Bhattal said the BJP had always played communal card to win elections. Development had never been on their agenda, she said.

Shimla, November 30
The erstwhile ruler of Rampur Bushair, Virbhadra Singh, is easily the richest politician in the state as he has properties, including palaces and ancestral land, worth crores, most of it inherited.

On the other hand, P.K. Dhumal, the BJP chief ministerial candidate, has properties and land worth several lakhs at his native village Samirpur and in Jalandhar, where his family has business interests.

The two leaders furnished details of their properties, cash, jewellery and vehicles owned to the returning officer while filing their nominations yesterday.

The value of the Chief Minister’s ancestral palaces, Padam Cottage is Rs 5 crore while that of Shanti Kunj at Sarahan is Rs 2 crore. While these two are ancestral properties inherited by the Chief Minister, he also owns a flat in Sansad Vihar in Delhi, valued at Rs 30 lakh.

While the Chief Minister owns two vehicles, a City Honda and a Scorpio, the BJP leader has a Toyota Innova vehicle.

It is probably BJP MLA from Nalagarh, Harinarain Saini who has declared assets worth Rs 10 crore, who comes close to the chief minister.

Mr Virbhadra’s ancestral land at Sarahan, Damrali and Kanai has been valued at Rs 3.11 crore. The Chief Minister has over Rs 1.50 crore in about 12 bank accounts and fixed deposits in various banks at Shimla, New Delhi, Sarahan and Rampur. The Chief Minister has stated that he has paid income tax of 2.37 lakh and wealth tax of over Rs 24,000. His wife, Pratibha Singh, who is also MP from Mandi, has gold ornaments weighing more than 2 kg.

Dhumal has stated that while he owns 90 gm of gold his wife has 450 gm and two diamond sets.

The properties listed by Dhumal include a 10-room double-storeyed house at Samirpur and a house in Central Town, Jalandhar. He owns agricultural land at Samirpur and has a plot valued at Rs 32.14 lakh at Palampur. He has about Rs 25 lakh in various bank deposits, FDRs and Kisan Vikas Patras. 

Solan, November 30
The BSP’s much hyped social-engineering formula to appease all communities appear to have taken a backseat with the party ignoring its long-standing party workers and opting for parachute candidates in two of the five constituencies of the district.

While Gomti Devi, who earlier owed allegiance to the Congress, has been preferred over Padam Verma, a committed BSP leader from Arki, the choice of Rajesh Jindal from Solan, who is not even an elector from the constituency, has surprised the party own cadres.

Peeved at the ticket denial, Padam Verma, a secretary of the district BSP, chose to file nomination as an Independent candidate from Arki. Gomti Devi, a sitting zila parishad member from the reserve ward of Kunihaar, who was given the BSP ticket, has found disfavour among the BSP cadre in her home constituency. Since she had supported the Congress in the zila parishad elections and her sudden candidature as a BSP nominee has surprised BSP supporters.

Padam Verma has now joined the Samajwadi Party (SP). Upset at being ignored, he said, “I had filed my nomination as an Independent candidate, but it was after the SP approached me that I filed another nomination as their nominee. What hurts is the shabby treatment meted out to me in ticket distribution and since I had been with the party right from its inception, it was unfair to chose an outsider.”

Criticising the social-engineering formula of the BSP, he said it belied logic why a candidate having loyalty to the Congress had been chosen while their own men were ignored. Gomti Devi could have been chosen as she belongs to the Dalit community and this exposes their own social-engineering formula.

Similarly, the selection of Rajesh Jindal, who is primarily a voter from the Doon constituency, as an official nominee from Solan has sent wrong signals across its party workers. His party men said they were not even aware whether he was a member of the Solan BSP or not as they had not seen his membership form. They rued the criteria floated by the party itself had been ignored while distributing tickets.

Shimla, November 30
Hiring or procuring of vehicles by a candidate or his agent for ferrying of voters will be treated as a corrupt practice under the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Stating this here today, chief electoral officer Manisha Nanda said such a corrupt practice could attract penalty and was punishable under Section 133 of the Representation of the People Act.

She said use of any vehicle by the candidate, his agent or any person with the consent of the candidate would  attract penalty.

She informed that according to Election Commission of India, each contesting candidate was entitled to use one vehicle for his own use, one for the use of election agent and a third one for the party workers. Permits for use of these vehicles would be issued by district magistrates or returning officers.

She said a candidate or his agent and party workers can use only use two wheelers or cars and taxies in which not more than five persons, including the driver can travel.

Mandi, November 30
In a shrewd political move that is being viewed as a “major political jolt to the Congress”, the BJP today fielded Congress rebel and former district Congress president D.D. Thakur as its candidate from Mandi (Sadar) against Sukh Ram’s son Anil Sharma. Thakur today resigned from the Congress to join the BJP.

Though the BJP state leadership has termed it as a “masterstroke” in the Congress-dominated Mandi region, the Congress has termed it as harmless departure of a harmless candidate.

The entry of Thakur in the Sangh Parivar after he served the party for 30 years is being viewed as a setback to the Congress, more particularly for Sukh Ram and his son Anil, who already face “anti-feelings among voters” in the Tungal area.

D.D. Thakur enjoys advantage over Anil, a new face, who has been seeking votes at the strength of his father, Sukh Ram.

Thakur won the Mandi (Sadar) seat on Congress ticket when Sukh Ram was the telecom minister in mid-1990s. Thakur has been actively working in the constituency for the past five years. He also belongs to the Tungal area.

Accompanied by BJP candidate Vishal Sharma, D.D. Thakur formally resigned from the Congress and joined the BJP at a secret place, where party in charge Satya Pal Jain, organisational secretary Mahinder Pande and co-in charge O.P. Dhankar and other members of party were present, sources said.

Thakur said he was ignored by the party for 30 years. “It is not opportunism as every party has the prime motive of serving the people. I am thankful to the BJP for considering me for the party ticket. I will try to pay back the party through my services,” he said.

State president Jai Ram Thakur said: “The party is united on entry of D.D. Thakur from Mandi (Sadar). We were facing problem here. Since D.D. Thakur is an honest and dedicated social worker, we have fielded him as our candidate.”

On the other hand, Congress president Viplove Thakur termed the exit of district president as an expected development. The development would not affect the Congress prospects as he was already contesting as an Independent. “The Congress is well-placed in Mandi and we will win majority of the seats,” Viplove said. 

Palampur , November 30
Senior BJP leader Shanta Kumar, who lost the race of for the post of Chief Minister to his colleague, Prem Kumar Dhumal, today brushed aside infighting in the party over the issue.

“There is no truth in the rumour (continued infighting in BJP over leadership issue),” Shanta Kumar, who is vice-president of the BJP, told reporters after party nominee Praveen Sharma filed nomination from his home constituency Palampur.

“There is no no rift in the party over the declaration of Dhumal as the BJP nominee,” he said. The decision had rather put the Congress on the backfoot which had failed to decide about its leader in the present assembly poll, he added.

In a blistering attack on the ruling Congress, the BJP leader alleged its rule in the hill state was “neck-deep in corruption” and the people had made up their mind to throw it out of the power.

Later, addressing a BJP rally at Gandhi Ground here, he lashed at the Congress for “burdening” the common man with a rise of the prices of essential items.

Charging the Virbhadra Singh government with failing on all fronts, he said nothing concrete was done to generate employment for youths despite this being a major poll promise of the Congress in the last assembly poll. — PTI

Nahan, November 30
Former minister and BJP candidate from Nahan Kumari Shyama Sharma said today the Congress had totally failed to redress the problems of Nahan residents.

She lambasted the Congress government for creating numerous problems for the residents by allowing the Army to establish a heavy artillery firing range in the Nahan area without making any arrangement for the rehabilitation of thousands of residents of more than 24 villages.

She claimed that the BJP government had sanctioned Rs 80 lakh for the construction of a sports stadium at Chambawala ground but the money was transferred to Bilaspur by the Congress government.

The former minister said that if the BJP was voted to power Nahan foundry would be revived at any cost and pollution-free industries established around Nahan to create employment opportunities for local unemployed youths. She said the Nahan district hospital would get again the status of a zonal hospital as designated by the BJP government. Steps would be taken to resolve once and for all the drinking water problem of Nahan

She welcomed a number of panchayati raj representatives who joined the BJP on this occasion. 

Manali, November 30
Two persons were killed when a taxi HP-01K 6786 skidded on snow and rolled down about 500 feet near Beas Nullah about 31 km from here on the Manali Rohtang Road this afternoon.

According to sources, the couple from Delhi was on its way from Rohtang Pass to Manali, when the ill-fated vehicle skidded off the road due to sudden snowfall. The driver of the vehicle had a narrow escape.

The inclement weather conditions which have been persisting for the past two days worsened this afternoon and the entire upper Manali region experienced snowfall.

Meanwhile, due to heavy snowfall on 13,050 ft high Rohtang Pass, hundreds of tourists stranded between Marhi and Rohtang Pass and about 30 vehicles stranded between Beas Nullah to Rohtang Pass.

According to Mahavir Thakur, deputy director of Mountaineering Institute, Manali, all stranded tourists were rescued by the rescue team and brought to Marhi.