He may still be some distance from acquiring a larger-than-life image like his mentor, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, and the superlatives reserved for Modi, or even his Madhya Pradesh counterpart Shivraj Singh Chauhan, may elude him. But the ‘Professor’ with the ready smile, Prem Kumar Dhumal, is quietly gaining stature as one of the BJP’s stalwart chief ministers.

assets Rs 1crore Declared in 2007 Assembly election

Come November, and Dhumal will be hoping to lead the BJP to victory, a second consecutive time, in Himachal Pradesh and become Chief Minister the third time. Known for being easily accessible and a ready-to-please approach — qualities that have endeared him to the common man — Dhumal is open to suggestions and ideas.

Dhumal’s baptism in politics was far from spectacular. He lost his first Lok Sabha election from the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency in 1984, before winning in 1989 and 1991. However, once entrenched, the two-time MP did not have to slog for long before making it to Chief Minister — a quick rise from teacher to the top most executive position in the state.

It was the bitter battle for the post of state party chief that took place at Jwalamukhi in November 1997 that saw Dhumal emerging as an alternative to the towering Shanta Kumar. Even though party elections could not be held with rowdy supporters of both the leaders, including some MLAs, coming to blows, he continued to head the organisation, exhibiting determination and grit.

Party support

The central leadership of the party too backed him, at times even ignoring some legitimate demands of Shanta, known for his rigid and unyielding ways. It was Modi, as general secretary in charge of the BJP affairs in Himachal, who was instrumental in deciding the leadership battle in favour of Dhumal.

This meant he emerged as the obvious choice for the post of Chief Minister after the 1998 Assembly elections that brought the BJP back to power in the hill state, despite it being Dhumal’s maiden entry into the Assembly. The party high command brushed aside criticism like inexperience or lack of administrative skills.

Adept at making friends across the political spectrum, Dhumal has developed cordial relations even with Union ministers from the Congress, which has proved useful in getting projects cleared. He often boasts of this in public, especially when targeting Congress state chief Virbhadra Singh, even sarcastically remarking that he (Dhumal) had been able to get more funds from the Centre than the Congress leader, who till recently was a Union Cabinet Minister.

Dhumal had also shared cordial relations with some senior Congress leaders in the past, such as the late Rajesh Pilot, Kumaramangalam and Madhavrao Scindia. Having spotted a rare photograph of Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi with the first Chief Minister of Himachal, Dr YS Parmar, taken in the mid-Seventies, Dhumal had it framed specially to present it to the AICC chief, a gesture that touched her.

These qualities have helped him win over many a detractor, some even of the Congress, who are known to have said they are given more consideration by him than their own leadership. These traits have been crucial in his success against far senior and experienced party rival Shanta Kumar, who has often spoken against issues of governance under Dhumal but he has virtually dropped out of the race for chief-ministership. The leadership issue in Himachal Pradesh is thus settled as far as the BJP is concerned. Dhumal is the choice for Chief Minister if the BJP manages to retain power in the November polls.

Taking no chances

Even as his political clout within the state BJP is unchallenged, Dhumal likes to leave nothing to chance. He has a staunch belief in astrology and numerology, with a fixation for doing anything important on a date that numerically adds up to nine. All Cabinet meetings are held on the 9th or 27th, and the number on all vehicles used by him and his staff too adds up to that.

A strict disciplinarian at home, he could be a stern father to his two sons, but as a grandfather that turns soft. In fact, according to his personal staff, he would often reschedule his programme to find time to meet his grandchildren in Delhi and Jalandhar. The same is true for his relation with party workers, with whom he would recall instances from their last meeting even if that were a decade ago.

Father’s weakness

The affection for family has attracted charges of nepotism too for Dhumal. He has openly promoted his elder son, Anurag Thakur, currently BJP MP from Hamirpur and national president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, youth wing of the party. In an oblique reference to the importance being given to the Chief Minister’s son, Shanta Kumar once remarked that the BJP, like the Congress, had been bitten by the family-first bug. There was talk of his younger son too being launched politically in the Assembly elections, but thus far there has been nothing on that.

His detractors also attack Dhumal for promoting a coterie of loyalists, a quality that is a liked by his supporters. This was on display in the manner in which he continued defending former Health Minister Rajiv Bindal, even though he had to face the wrath of the Congress in the Assembly as they boycotted the session for almost a week.

Ignoring much resistance in the politically sensitive district of Kangra, Dhumal also tried pushing the case of his “blue-eyed boy” Ravinder Singh Ravi to be accommodated in the Jwalamukhi Assembly segment after his constituency Thural was scrapped in the delimitation. The issue became a bone of contention between him and Shanta. Dhumal had faced the charge of allowing a clique to wield power even during his earlier tenure as Chief Minister, with certain loyalists taking advantage of the liberty he grants them.

Trouble with roots

Having started his career as a teacher in a college in Jalandar, he is often targeted not just by the Congress but even within his party, for “promoting outsiders”, especially those with a Jalandhar connection. They say even though he is from Hamirpur, at heart he remains a Punjabi, a state where he has spent a long time while teaching and also has business interests. He, however, would like to project himself as the son of a farmer who is very grounded and familiar with the harsh realities of life, “in contrast to the aristocratic Congress leadership”.

Despite this criticism, there is little doubt Dhumal is the man for every season and everyman’s politician as far as the BJP in Himachal is concerned, which he has established beyond doubt.

JUST when the political veteran of five decades seemed to be coming into his elements after a long-drawn battle for taking control of the state party unit, more roadblocks have appeared for Virbhadra Singh as well as the Congress on the way to power.

assets Rs 22crore Declared as Union Minister in 2011

The high command handed over the reins of the party to the five-time Chief Minister, who was being sidelined for the past five years, as it desperately needed to win the Assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh to weather the national political turbulence, arising from the series of alleged scams denting the UPA’s image. He was picked up at the eleventh hour to lead the party in the Assembly polls despite a special court framing charges against him in what has come to be known as the “CD case”, which will come up for hearing in November.

The “raja” from the erstwhile princely state of Rampur Bushair had barely kicked off the campaign when another controversy has been triggered by a surreptitious entry, “VBS”, in the files of a private firm. Ever a fighter, Virbhadra has weathered many a storm, but the latest row has erupted at the most inopportune “poll” time. He has dismissed the whole thing as a conspiracy to malign him, but the BJP is already gunning for him.

Cong fortunes

He is the face of the Congress and the electoral prospects of the party are inextricably linked to him. While much will depend on how he copes with the ‘VBS’ issue, which is only beginning to unfold, the fact is he has come out unscathed in tricky situations earlier.

That the high command has reposed confidence in him under extremely trying circumstances is an acknowledgement of his fighting abilities, mass base and rapport with the people. However, with the party organisation not in the best of health, senior leaders pulling in different directions and resentment over allotment of the ticket, his task is all the more difficult.

He is capable of winning the battle for the party because of his direct rapport with the masses. The qualities of compassion and aggression, which he inherited as a “raja”, have come in handy in bolstering his career. He is kind-hearted and known to help the needy, but leaves no quarter for his political rivals and detractors, with whom he can be ruthless.

The warrior

The “royal training” has also enabled him to protect his domain and keep the rivals at bay. Ruling a small princely state would have been much easier than staying afloat in the highly competitive electoral politics, where he is only one among equals, but Virbhadra has proved equal to the task. It is his uncanny ability of bouncing back that has helped him survive ordeals. In confronting political rivals, he is ready to open several fronts at a time or drag them to court. To muster popular support, he is not shy of going to the people.

Virbhadra also does not hesitate from striking compromises with rivals, when needed. The entry of his bête noire, Vijay Mankotia, into the Congress last week is the latest example. It was a replay of events that preceded the 1993 Assembly polls. He has had this love-hate relationship with many leaders, including the late Ram Lal, Jai Bihari Lal Khachi, Sulh Ram and Vidya Stokes.

The 24x7 politician has rubbed off on the family too. His wife Pratibha Singh is already in the thick of politics, having won the 2004 Lok Sabha election from Mandi. Virbhadra is also grooming his son Vikramditya, who has taken charge of his campaign in the Shimla Rural segment. Earlier, he had won the State Youth Congress election by a thumping margin, by the election was set aside by the high command.

Compassion card

Politics apart, Virbhadra has softer aspects too that endear him to the masses. He is all compassion and magnanimous in helping the needy. Easily moved by the plight of the poor, he would not hesitate in handing out money from his own pocket, a trait common among the royals in hill states.

He has a thing for luxury too, which is reflected in the buildings constructed during his tenures as Chief Minister. The rest houses built by the state electricity board under the chairmanship of the late Kailash Mahajan were a cause of controversy. During the subsequent Assembly elections, the BJP had put the government in the dock for allowing the board, which did not have the funds to execute hydroelectric projects, to indulge in such extravagance. When Shanta Kumar came to power in 1990, the first thing he did was to sack Mahajan.

Similarly, the decision of Virbhadra Singh to hire a chopper evoked severe criticism from the Opposition, which accused him of pursuing a royal lifestyle. It is another matter that subsequently every Chief Minister made good use of these luxuries and helicopter became the preferred mode of transport.

Tribune addict

A voracious reader, Virbhadra enjoys reading books of all kind, which he finds relaxing. He has a penchant for using just the right word, for which he won’t hesitate browsing through dictionaries, which are always by his bedside. By his own confession, he is an old addict of The Tribune, which he started reading as a schoolboy before Independence, when it came by post from Lahore. Till date, it is the first newspaper he picks up in the morning.

Man of faith

The veteran leader has an unflinching faith in the family deity of Bhima Kali, and always makes it a point to pay obeisance at the magnificent temple at Sarhan during “Navratri”, considered auspicious days for invoking the blessings of the goddess. He publicly acknowledges that he draws the strength to face political challenges from the goddess, who has never failed him. The man who passed the law against religious conversion maintains he is not “religious” but “spiritual”.

It is perhaps his faith in the deities that prompted him to enact the Hindu Religious Shrines and Other Charitable Institutions Act to allow government takeover of some of the major temples that were plagued by mismanagement. He was also the one to bring about the Maintenance of Parents Act, which was later adopted at the national level.

Saying it in ink

Virbhadra Singh now for quite some time has been writing his autography, which he claims will be a treatise on the political history of the state. It will not be an autobiography in the classic sense, rather a varied account of his political career. However, he would publish it only after finishing his innings in politics to avoid hurting people with his “true account of events and frank views”.

It has been rather a long political career for a man who had no intention of joining politics until he was handpicked by Lal Bahadur Shastri, then a minister in the Jawaharlal Cabinet, who was scouting for young leaders for the party. Virbhadra has not looked back since. He has remained Chief Minister for over 16 years, more than any other leader of the state, and also got elected to the Lok Sabha five times. The question now is will there be a sixth term as Chief Minister?

Dharamsala, October 14
The Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh will be a referendum on the performance of and corruption in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government led by the Congress at the Centre, said BJP national vice-president Shanta Kumar while addressing a press conference here today.

He took a dig at state Congress president Virbhadra Singh and said he should quit active politics till his name was cleared in the ISPAT scam. He said the Centre and the Income Tax Department should have initiated action two years back, but it was strange that no action was taken.

Shanta Kumar alleged that the UPA government has broken records in corruption. He claimed that the way Congress leaders were protecting Robert Vadra illustrated how blatant they had become. He added that the way people voted would illustrate how they responded to rampant corruption and high inflation.

He claimed that nepotism, that was the culture in the Congress, had now spread in the BJP as well. Talking about rebels in the party, he claimed that the BJP would form the government in the state again. He asserted that rebels who continued to work against party candidates would never be allowed to return to the BJP.

Shanta Kumar alleged that the Congress lacked leadership at the Centre and was relying on the Gandhi family. He said Rahul Gandhi had proved an incapable leader and people had rejected him. Talking about the third front, Shanta Kumar said the two-party system had been established and there was no scope for or relevance of a third front.

Later in the evening, Shanta Kumar addressed a political rally at Khaniara village in Dharamsala constituency for party candidate Kishan Kapoor. Minister for Industries at present, Kapoor is a Shanta Kumar loyalist. This is the first political rally addressed by Shanta Kumar for the upcoming elections.

Dharamsala, October 14
State Congress president Virbhadra Singh has prevailed as the party high command has reviewed its decision on the Dharamsala and Jwalamukhi ticket.

In a communication received here this evening, the Central Election Committee has again decided to give the ticket from Dharamsala to Sudhir Sharma and from Jwalamukhi to Sanjay Rattan.

A few days back, the Congress had decided to give the ticket from Dharamsala to Manoj Gaddi and to shift Sudhir Sharma to Jwalamukhi.

Sources here said the ticket change had been affected at the instance of former Dharamsala legislator and current Member of Parliament from Jodhpur Chandresh Kumari.

Virbhadra Singh had been openly resisting the change. He had asked Sudhir Sharma and Sanjay Rattan to keep campaigning from the constituencies allotted to them earlier.

The repeated change of candidate from Dharamsala is likely to increase the factional fight in the Congress. The denial of the party ticket to Manoj Gaddi is likely to peeve Chandresh Kumari.

Her family has been keeping away from the party campaign. They are reportedly saying they are keeping away from the campaign as they do not want to be blamed for the defeat of the Congress in the area.

The party will have a hard time placating supporters of Manoj Gaddi. They maintain that the Congress has been ignoring the Gaddi community in Kangra. It was the first time the Congress gave the ticket to a member of the community.

Virbhadra Singh has again proved his mettle in the state Congress. He has illustrated that the Congress has given him full command of the elections, ignoring other factions.

In Jwalamukhi, supporters of Sanjay Rattan, denied the party ticket in the last change, celebrated this evening. Though he had been denied the ticket, Virbhadra Singh kept campaigning with him in Jwalamukhi.

Shimla, October 14
The Election Commission (EC) has allowed the use of school and college grounds for holding election rallies. Chief Electoral Officer Narinder Chauhan said on Friday that election meetings could be held on school and college grounds provided the management had no objection and prior permission was obtained from the Subdivisional Officer.

He said the main objective was to ensure a level playing field for all political parties. He said permission would be granted on the condition that the school and college academic calendar was not disturbed.

He added that permission would be granted on a first-come-first-served basis. He said no political party would be allowed to monopolise the use of the grounds.

He said violation in the allotment of school and college grounds for political meetings would be viewed seriously. He added that the ground utilised should be returned to the authority concerned without damage and with the requisite compensation for the damage caused, if any.

Hamirpur, October 14
Hamirpur legislator Urmil Thakur has reconciled to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) high command’s decision to shift her to the newly created constituency Sujanpur, but Rajinder Rana, once a confidant of Chief Minister PK Dhumal, has revolted against the decision to deny him the ticket from Sujanpur and opted to enter the fray as an Independent.

Thakur had been trying to convince the BJP leadership to field her from Hamirpur despite Dhumal’s indication to contest from here, but finally agreed to contest from Sujanpur. She had been saying she would contest from Hamirpur as she had contested the last three elections from here.

After the high command’s decision, she is undertaking a whirlwind tour of Sujanpur and holding meetings at different levels with party activists. Dhumal will campaign for her in the constituency tomorrow. Talking to The Tribune, she said, “Since the Chief Minister wants to contest from Hamirpur, I have shifted to Sujanpur and am confident of victory.”

On the other hand, former media advisory committee chairman Rana, who was aspiring to get the ticket from Sujanpur, revolted against the party. He had been concentrating in the constituency through his NGO Sarva Kalyankari Sabha for years and preparing the ground to contest elections.

He said, “I have been telling the people that I will contest the elections on the BJP ticket and, in case of the party ticket denial, on the people’s ticket. I am determined to contest the elections as I cannot betray the people. I will file nomination papers as an Independent on October 16.”

Shimla, October 14
Former Education Minister and ex-Speaker Radha Raman Shastri will contest the elections from Shimla as the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate. State party unit president Anirudh Sharma released the first list of 12 candidates here today.

The other candidates are Bhagat Singh from Arki, Janki Ram Chauhan from Kasauli (SC), Gautam from Nalagarh, Sushma Chaudhari from Dehra, Aman Dhawan from Jawali, Vijay Kumar from Baijnath (SC), Tilak Raj from Indora, Jagdish Bisht from Jogindernagar, Rajiv Sharma from Nahan, Sunder Dev Negi From Kinnaur (ST) and Madan BarIyal from Bharmour (ST).

Sharma said the NCP had fielded only a few candidates, but they were formidable and the party would open its account in the state. He claimed that neither the Congress, nor the Bharatiya Janata Party would be able to secure a majority in the Assembly and smaller parties would have a major role in government formation.

Una, October 14
Former Congress MLA and HPCC spokesperson OP Rattan today bid adieu to the Congress and joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC). He was sore at being denied Congress ticket from the Una Assembly constituency.

Along with Rattan, all the office-bearers of the Una Block Congress also resigned and joined the TMC. Rattan and the Una Block Congress had given an ultimatum till today for change in thev Congress candidate from Una.

While talking to The Tribune today, Rattan said he would file nomination papers as TMC candidate on October 16 from Una. He said, “I had joined politics about 20 years ago and served the Congress party in the state. However, now it seems that money is being preferred over dedicated party workers while alloting party tickets in the Congress. So I have decided to resign from the Congress and join the TMC.”

Rattan had joined Himachal politics in 1993 after quitting the office of the then Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. Since he belonged to the Mehatpur area of Himachal, Rattan decided to return to parent state and join politics under the aegis of Beant Singh.

He got ticket from the Una Assembly constituency in 1993 despite stiff resistance of Virbhadra Singh who preferred his loyalist Varinder Gautam from the area. Rattan won with the support of Beant Singh. However, Rattan did not find favour with Virbhadra Singh.

In 1998 he quit the Congress after being denied party ticket and joined the Himachal Vikas Congress (HVC) headed by former Union Minister Sukh Ram. Later, he again joined the Congress, but was denied party ticket in 2003 and 2007 Assembly elections. Virbhadra had managed party ticket for Gautam in the Assembly polls.

The factional fight between the groups headed by Rattan and late Gautam led to defeat of the Congress those years from Una. Rattan was also Congress candidate for the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency in 2008 parliamentary byelections.

This time the Congress decided to give party ticket from Una to Satpal Raizada, a green horn from Una, ignoring both Rattan and Gautam groups.

Cnce again the party is facing serious dissidence. While Rattan has announced his resignation from party today, late Varinder Gautam’s son Rajeev Gautam has also threatened to contest as Independent.

This is going to make going tough for Satpal Raizada, Congress nominee from Una.

Bilaspur, October 14
Both the BJP and the Congress are facing revolt among ticket seekers at the Naina Deviji constituency, and not only sitting MLA Randhir Sharma (BJP), but also former minister and Congress candidate Ram Lal Thakur are being challenged by leaders of their own parties.

Reports confirm that Randhir Sharma has earned the wrath of a number of prominent BJP leaders of his area, including Zila Parishad Chairman Kuldip Thakur, prominent trade union leader Shankar Dass Thakur and Kisan Morcha national executive member Roshan Thakur, who are openly opposed to his candidature.

Kuldip Thakur has declared that since “people of area” want him to fight this election, “I have decided to contest as an Independent,” he said here yesterday.

Similarly, Congress candidate Ram Lal Thakur is also facing trouble from prominent Congress leaders, including Zila Parishad members Hoshiyar Singh Thakur and Babu Ram Thakur, who are seeking this ticket against him.

Hoshiyar Singh said he was “under great pressure” from his party men to challenge this ticket allotment and “I have accepted this challenge and am in the field against official Congress candidate as an Independent,” he said.

Kisan Sabha state general secretary and former MLA from this constituency Krishan Kumar Kaushal too will contest as HLM (Joint Morcha of the CPI, CPM and HLP) candidate from this seat.

Hamirpur, October 14
As many as 53 polling booths in Hamirpur district have been declared hypersensitive and 98 sensitive for the Assembly elections in the state.

Talking to mediapersons here recently, District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner (DC), Hamirpur, Rajinder Singh Thakur said 514 polling booths had been set up in the district in the five Assembly constituencies.

Rajinder Singh said, “Sixteen polling booths have been declared hypersensitive in the Sujanpur Assembly constituency, 15 in Nadaun, 12 in Bhoranj , 8 in Badsar and 2 in Hamirpur.”

Similarly, 32 polling booths have been declared sensitive in Sujanpur Assembly constituency, 21 in Badsar, 19 each in Hamirpur and Nadaun and 7 in Bhoranj.

He said to ensure free and fair elections and on the directions of the Election Commission of India, Section 144, IPC, had been promulgated in Hamirpur district. Those who possessed arms in urban, sensitive and hypersensitive areas of the district had been asked to deposit their arms at the nearest police station.

The arms prohibition orders would remain in force till December 24, he added.

Hamirpur SP Madhusudan said the district police was monitoring the situation in the district and number of sensitive and hypersensitive polling booths may change after periodic review.

Shimla, October 14
While the Nationalist Congress Party and the Trinamool Congress, which are looking for a foothold in the state, may not cut much ice with the electorate, the Himachal Lok Morcha floated by the Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP), the breakaway group of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has once again raised the hope of a third political force in the state.

The HLP has been allotted the symbol ‘telephone’, which was also the election symbol of the Himachal Vikas Congress (HVC), established by former Telecommunications Minister Sukh Ram after he was sacked from the Congress. He emerged as the king-maker by installing PK Dhumal as the Chief Minister in the wake of a hung Assembly in 1998.

The political situation is more conducive to a third force than ever before. The BJP and the Congress are plagued with intense factionalism and both are seen on the same pedestal.

There is very little to choose between the two when it comes to corruption, governance and nepotism, besides other issues affecting the common man. The victory of the CPM in the Shimla Municipal Corporation elections four months back has indicated this.

The HLP-CPM-CPI alliance is contesting all 68 seats and candidates announced so far include 10 former legislators and many contestants who lost with slender margins in last elections. The moot question is whether Maheshwar Singh’s HLP succeeds in doing to the BJP what Sukh Ram’s HVC did to the Congress in 1998. Circumstances are quite similar.

In the past, bipolar politics in the state, with the Congress and the BJP occupying centrestage, has not allowed a stable third front to emerge and seriously challenge the hegemony of the two established players. Parties like the Janta Dal and the HVC raised hope by doing well in one election, but vanished by the next.

These parties dented the vote banks of main parties to an extent, but failed to create permanent space. In fact, such parties provided a platform to rebels of the main parties and Independents.

A potential third force emerged in 1998 when the HVC won five seats, polling 9.63 per cent of the votes, and helped dislodge the Congress from power. It did not do well in the 2003 elections and merged into the Congress on the eve of the General Election in 2004.

Prior to this, the Janta Dal headed by Vijay Singh Mankotia showed much promise by winning 11 seats in alliance with the BJP in 1990. It vanished by Assembly elections in 1993 and a majority of its leaders returned to the Congress.

Solan, October 14
The emergence of rebels in the Doon constituency may play spoilsport for the BJP and the Congress with rebels from both the parties having made up their mind to contest as independents.

While Congress nominee Ramkumar Chowdhary, who is a son of three-time MLA Lajja Ram, is facing opposition from Paramjit Singh Pammi, member, Zila Parishad, the situation is no better for sitting BJP MLA Vinod Chandel who is facing a direct challenge from her own party leader Darshan Singh Saini.

Ramkumar, who was the youngest Zila Parishad chairman in the last term, is presently general secretary of the Pradesh Congress Committee. Spelling out his poll agenda, the young leader terms the ineffectiveness of the Doon MLA as the major reason for the constituency’s neglect. He said Chandel was not only surrounded by a coterie of political cohorts, but she had lost touch with the common people. This was especially so in the panchayats falling in far-flung hilly areas of the constituency where even routine problems like the laying of roads or irregular bus services had not been addressed by the MLA.

With his family dominating the local municipal committee ever since its inception, he is confident of wresting back this seat from the BJP. He claims scores of BJP activists have joined the Congress after feeling neglected by the MLA. Chowdhary held a number of public meetings in Goyla, Garsi, Nandpur, Chandi etc, where problems like lack of potable water and poor condition of link roads have marred development.

Pammi was focussing in the areas around Baddi and was desirous of contesting as an independent candidate after having been denied the party ticket. Banking on the support of the transporters he has been making his presence felt in the constituency ever since he won the Zila Parishad poll. He is sure to cause some undercutting in the Congress vote bank.

The BJP, too, was facing a similar dent in its vote bank with Saini having announced his decision to contest as an independent after having been denied the ticket. Since he had managed to gain considerable votes in the last Vidhan Sabha elections, his presence could cost the BJP dear in this constituency. 

Solan, October 14
With a view to winning back prestige in Solan district, the party has fielded four new faces while retaining its lone legislator in Nalagarh.

The Congress has fielded former Member of Parliament and Congress Working Committee member DR Shandil from Solan, which has been reserved following delimitation.

Though Shandil is not new to Solan as he has been a Member of Parliament from Shimla, he will contest Assembly elections from Solan for the first time. With no other formidable choice, the Congress has decided on him.

Shandil has hired a room at a hotel to begin his campaign. Initially reluctant, he will have to work hard to reach the masses as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Sheila Kumari, being the zila parishad chief, is a known face.

Kasauli candidate Vinod Sultanpuri, son of former Member of Parliament KD Sultanpuri, will contest elections for the first time. He will face sitting BJP legislator Rajiv Saizal. Sultanpuri will face a challenging task in wresting the seat back.

The Congress has fielded Sanjay Awasthy, block Congress committee president, from Arki. He has been active in the area for the last five years and has been addressing problems of local residents.

He is trying to make his debut in electoral politics. Banking on the anti-incumbency factor, he is hopeful of defeating sitting BJP legislator Govind Sharma.

The Congress has fielded Ramkumar Chowdhary from Doon. He is the
state Congress general secretary and a former zila parishad chairman.

Being former legislator Lajja Ram’s son, he is a known figure in the area. He is hopeful of victory as sitting legislator Vinod Chandel has been facing opposition from within the BJP.

Mandi/Karsog, October 14
Congress rebel Mast Ram and BJP rebel Joginderpal, both former MLAs, have formed a joint front, Joint Vikas Manch, Karsog, and declared that Mast Ram will contest as an Independent candidate from Karsog, taking on Congress’ Mansa Ram and BJP’s Hira Lal, a sitting MLA who had won the 2007 Assembly elections as an Independent.

Announcing the launch of the joint front, Mast Ram, a supporter of state Congress president Virbhadra Singh, and Joginderpal, a BJP ticket contender, declared that they have been forced by their supporters to form a joint front.

They along with BJP and Congress men have resigned from their parties and declared Mast Ram as an Independent candidate.

Lagnu Ram Bhardwaj, Bhagat Ram Vyas and Joginderapal were BJP ticket seekers, but the party allotted ticket to Hira Lal, a sitting BJP MLA, who won the last Assembly elections as an Independent.

Lagnu Ram, convener of the joint front, said they have formed a joint front and Mast Ram was their candidate.

“We will inaugurate our office at Karsog tomorrow, he said.

Local BJP unit leaders Lagnu Ram, Moti Ram, Thakur Das Sharma and Congress leaders Rameshwar Thakur and Sheila Thakur joined hands with Mast Ram and Joginderpal, supporters of the two leaders said.

But both BJP candidate Hira Lal and Congress candidate Mansa Ram, a former MLA of the Sukh Ram-led now defunct Himachal Vikas Congress, kicked off their campaigns.

Mast Ram has opened the joint front against Mansa Ram as “he is still considered to be a Sukh Ram loyalist”.

Joginderpal has resigned from the BJP, but he has assured help to the front.

Nahan, October 14
With Solan a reserved constituency after delimitation, Rajiv Bindal of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has shifted to Nahan in Sirmaur district. He has been nurturing his new constituency by concentrating on development.

The former Health Minister had won three consecutive elections from Solan till 2007. The BJP never won from Nahan. Kush Parmar of the Congress, son of first Chief Minister Dr YS Parmar, was elected thrice. Lok Janshakti Party’s Sadanand Chauhan had also won from here and so had Janta Dal’s Shyama Sharma before she joined the BJP.

The delimitation exercise has changed the profile of the constituency marginally, with 11 panchayats of Paonta Sahib having been added to it. The new area largely comprises Bhati and Muslim voters, which will have an impact on the prospects of candidates.

Though the Paonta Sahib seat is held by BJP’s Sukh Ram, it remains to be seen if the newly added panchayats will prefer the BJP. Bindal’s exit from the Cabinet on charges of corruption and resentment among a section of the BJP’s local mandal are also slated to play a decisive role.

Sirmaur district has been a traditional stronghold of the Congress, where it has won four of the five seats. The BJP enhanced its tally to two in last year’s by-election. The district had registered the highest polling, 59.14 per cent, in the 2009 General Election.

Shimla, October 14
Narinder Chauhan, Chief Electoral Officer, has directed all District Magistrates to issue directions to printers, representatives of political parties, candidates and polling agents regarding the restrictions imposed by the Election Commission (EC) on the printing and publication of election pamphlets and posters during the elections.

He said here recently that provisions regarding the printing and publication of election pamphlets and posters were governed by the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and these should be followed strictly during elections.

Chauhan said before printing any election pamphlet or poster, the printer should obtain a declaration from the publisher in the proforma prescribed by the EC, which should be signed by the publisher and attested by two persons to whom the publisher was personally known.

It should be authenticated by the printer when it was forwarded to the Chief Electoral Officer or the District Magistrate, as the case might be.

He said the printer should furnish four copies of the material printed along with the declaration of the publisher within three days of the printing, besides the information regarding the number of copies of the document printed and the price charged for the printing job, in the proforma prescribed by the EC.

Such information shall be furnished by the printer, not collectively, but separately, in respect of each election pamphlet or poster etc printed by him within three days of the printing.

Chauhan further said no person should print or publish any election pamphlet or poster which did not bear the names and addresses of the printer and the publisher on the front.

The Chief Electoral Officer said restrictions on the printing of election-related pamphlets and posters had been imposed under the law with a view to establish the identity of publishers and printers in case such a document contained any matter or material which was illegal, offensive or objectionable, like an appeal on the grounds of religion, race, caste, community or language or character assassination of an opponent.

He said necessary punitive or preventive action might be taken against persons concerned.

These restrictions also served the purpose of keeping a check on the incurring of unauthorised election-related expenditure by political parties, candidates and supporters on the printing and publication of pamphlets and posters.

Chamba, October 14
The indefinite fast of former BJP MLA Gandharav Singh which had started at Chowari, subdivision headquarters of Bhattiyat in Chamba district, as a protest against the denial of party ticket to BJP district president Gp Capt Bhupender Chauhan (retd), entered the fourth day today, spokesperson of the party Yog Raj Dhiman stated here today.

Gandharav Singh has resolved to continue his fast until the decision of ticket allotment is not reviewed by the party high command and the ticket allotted to Gp Captain Chauhan.

Chauhan has already resigned from the post of district president of the BJP.

Meanwhile, Dr DK Soni, who is also district convener of the BJP intellectual cell, has also resigned from his post for not being allotted the party ticket from the Chamba Assembly constituency, thereby giving an impetus to revolt in party circles of the district.

Chauhan and Soni will file their nomination papers as Independent candidates from Bhattiyat and Chamba, respectively, if the BJP high command fails to review its decision, Dhiman said.

Shimla, October 14
Bharatiya Janata Party workers today protested against the alleged scam in the Union Steel Ministry and burnt an effigy of Virbhadra Singh, who was heading it when the payments were reportedly made.

They alleged that the list of corrupt ministers in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime was getting longer. They claimed corruption at the Centre and price rise had reached unprecedented levels under the present regime.

BJP spokesperson Ashok Kapatia alleged that people were disillusioned with corruption, inflation and indifferent governance under the UPA regime.

He said people wanted to teach the Congress a lesson and the defeat of the Congress candidate in the Uttarakhand by-election was the latest evidence of this. He said the price rise, particularly in liquefied petroleum gas and diesel, had hit the common man hard.

He said the UPA had come to power on the promise of rolling back the hike in prices within 100 days, providing jobs to 1 crore persons every year and bringing back black money in six months, but it did not fulfil any promise.

He claimed that the alleged payoffs to persons named VBS and APS in the steel scam had sullied the image of the state. He alleged that Virbhadra Singh had done nothing for the state as a Union minister and had brought a bad name to it instead.

Billing, October 14
Rome Bite, an American flier, was killed when he lost his route on Friday. He had come to Billing to participate in the International Para Gliding competition being held from October 25. Official sources said his body, along with his glider, was spotted in the high hills of the Dhauladhars bordering Chamba district.

Reports reaching here today said Bite had been missing for the past two days. On Friday morning he flew from Billing on free flying and after five hours he lost his contact with the control room. Thereafter, the administration began his search. However, the police failed to locate him. Only last evening another flier, who was flying in the Dhauladhar hills, spotted his body along with his glider. He immediately informed the control room.

A police team, along with salutes from the Mountaineering Institute, Manali, were immediately sent to trace his body. The SDM, Baijnath, told mediapersons that the exact location of the body was not yet known. The flier has only provided us the topography of the area where the body of Bite was lying. He said the administration was taking the assistance of locals also to reach the spot.

Earlier too, over a dozen para gliders had lost their lives in this adventure sport in the Kangra valley. Most of the deceased were foreigners. Despite best efforts the state government had failed to check such mishaps. In two cases the para gliders were still missing.

A senior officials of the Aero Sports Society said after this mishap, para gliders were being advised to take extra care while flying in the high hills and try to land back before 3 pm. He said sudden rain and snowfall in the Dhauladhar ranges was responsible for such incidents.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner, Kangra, has informed the Amercian Embassy about the death of Rome Bite.