Theog: Delimitation has brought Leader of the Opposition Vidya Stokes back to her old constituency Theog, where she is locked in a multi-cornered electoral battle involving BJP, CPM and TMC candidates. She contested the last two elections from Kumarsain, which has been merged into Theog and Shimla Rural constituencies.

After delimitation, the present segment is a combination of Kumarsain and Theog, represented by Rakesh Verma. It has now the highest number of 73,500 voters in the district. This has led to an interesting scenario, with two sitting MLAs in the fray at the same time.

A part of Theog, the Balsan area, has been shifted to Chopal. Apart from delimitation, the entry of Rakesh Singha (CPM) and Pramod Sharma (TMC), has set the stage for a lively battle. The complexion of the constituency has been changed and so have political equations.

Stokes and PCC Chief Virbhadra Singh, who have been at loggerheads for the last two decades, have joined hands and, unlike the past, the latter is also campaigning for her. As a result, Pramod Sharma, a staunch Virbhadra Singh loyalist who contested as rebel candidate in last two polls, may not get the kind of support he got in the past. Stokes is also facing her old rival Verma, who defeated her in 1993.

However, it is the presence of new rival Singha that should be a cause of concern for her. He hails from her area, Thanedar, and also related to her. He is not new to electoral politics and won the Shimla seat way back in 1993. The CPM high command, which is keen to expand the party’s base, chose to field him from Theog instead of Shimla, where the party has done well by winning the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor.

“I have all the advantage of being a fresh candidate whereas my main rivals Stokes and Verma have to contend with anti-incumbency. Moreover, with Verma’s Balsan area shifted, he was keen to contest from Chopal,” says Singha.

Stokes, on the other hand, maintains that delimitation has helped her as she is the only candidate who represented both Kumarsain and Theog and is familiar with the entire constituency. It will only hurt the prospects of Verma and Sharma as they will have to contend with a new area. In fact, Virbhadra Singh, while campaign for Stokes, emphasised that Verma was keen on contesting from Chopal, but he was forced to contest from Theog by the BJP.

However, Verma is a man of resources and has won all three elections as an Independent. The loss of Balsan area, which was his stronghold, will matter to him, but he stands to gain from the division of votes due to the presence of Singha and Sharma.

Thus, a keen but interesting contest is on the cards and it is matter of prestige for Stokes. She has contested all Assembly polls from 1977, wining from Theog in 1982, 1985, 1990 and 1998 and from Kumarsain in 2003 and 2007. The people are still facing basic issues of low voltage and erratic power supply, water shortage and lack of staff in schools and health institutions.

Statistics

Theog

total voters 73,500

male voters 37,612

female voters 35,888

2007

Winner Rakesh Verma (Ind) 48.56%

Runner-up Rajinder Singh (Congress) 36.85%

2003

Winner Rakesh Verma (Ind) 46.30%

Runner-up Rajinder Singh (Congress) 38.47%

Kumarsain

2007

Winner Vidya Stokes (Congress) 40.86%

Runner-up Pramod Sharma (Ind) 37.92%

2003

Winner Vidya Stokes (Congress) 43.06%

Runner-up Pramod Sharma (Ind) 32.61%

Nurpur: Nurpur has been the bastion of late Congress minister Sat Mahajan. This time, his son Ajay Mahajan is contesting as the Congress candidate from the area.

Ajay Mahajan is facing Independent MLA Rakesh Pathania, a BJP rebel. Pathania, who was the BJP MLA in 1998, was denied the ticket in 2007 after he fell out with Shanta Kumar. He contested as a rebel and defeated Mahajan.

During the last five years, he remained an associate member of the BJP and remained close to Chief Minister PK Dhumal. Pathania once again tried for the BJP ticket from Nurpur. He was again denied the party ticket after vehement opposition from Shanta Kumar. Pathania is again contesting as an Independent.

The BJP ticket from Nurpur was given to a greenhorn, Ranvir Nikka. However, almost the entire BJP cadre from Nurpur, including former minister Kewal Singh Pathania, is working for Rakesh Pathania. Nikka, the official BJP candidate, faces the uphill task of creating his own voter base in the area in a short time.

Though Pathania is again fighting as an Independent, he has developed a strong voter base in rural areas of the constituency. In urban areas, that comprise Nurpur town, Congress candidate Mahajan seems to have the upper hand. Pathania is also facing anti-incumbency as many of his supporters are annoyed due to his rude behaviour. A shrewd politician, Pathania has managed to win back sore supporters.

The main poll plank of Pathania is once again getting district status for Nurpur subdivision. By carrying out an agitation, Pathania has positioned himself as a crusader for getting district status for Nurpur. Pathania is also trying to polarise the Rajput vote bank of Nurpur. Rajputs form the majority vote share in Nurpur.

Compared to his father Sat Mahajan, who was a charismatic personality, Ajay Mahajan is a low-profile person. He has been working in the Nurpur Assembly segment for the last five years. He hopes that anti-incumbency against Pathania and division in BJP votes will take him home. The main contest is between Mahajan and Pathania.

Statistics

total voters 74,523

male voters 39,002

female voters 35,521

Sitting MLA: Rakesh Pathania (Independent, later became associate member of BJP)

How the top 3 fared in 2007

Rakesh Pathania (Independent) 29,128 (48.01%)

Ajay Mahajan (Congress) 24,963 (41.15%)

Kewal Singh Pathania (BSP) 6,570 (10.83%)

MLA’s biggest achievement Rs 200-crore Phina Singh Canal 

Jogindernagar: BJP candidate Gulab Singh Thakur, the second most powerful man in the Dhumal government, is under threat. He is besieged not only by his nephew from the
Congress, Surinderpal Thakur, but also by the Sangh Parivar, the CPM and four others.

All eight contestants are trying to outsmart one another in posters, banners and slogans and campaigns, but Jogindernagar’s 82,783 voters, the largest number in the district, are silent so far.

But the real challenge to PWD Minister Gulab Singh might come from a Virbhadra Singh loyalist, Surinderpal, for the third time. The fight has once again turned out to be a “Chacha-Bhatija” battle, that this Assembly segment had also witnessed in 2003 and 2007.

Challenging this “Chacha-Bhatija” hegemony are the two young Turks, Sangh Parivar and ABVP activist Ajay Darwal, who is vice-chairman, Jogindernagar nagar panchayat, and CPM’s labour union activist Kushal Bhardwaj.

NCP’s Jagdish Bisht, a Congress ticket-seeker and ex-serviceman, who spent most time in Delhi, and Trinamool Congress’ Rakesh Palsra, have given the “son of the soil” slogan in Chauntra.

The CPM raised local issues of PWD daily wagers, shortage of doctors and other development issues in the constituency for the last five years. But both the Sangh Parivar and CPM cadres are grooming Bhardwaj and Darwal for a longer innings. They are wooing the young and the disillusioned vote bank bypassed by development and ‘thekedar raj’ and a new vote bank of about 9,000 voters included in Jogindernagar from the Darang segment after delimitation.

Sangh Parivar distrusts Gulab Singh’s aristocratic style and his 18-year-long stint as a Congressman. He joined the Congress in 1980 and remained its MLA till March 1998. Subsequently, his youngest daughter was married to Dhumal’s elder son Anurag Thakur.

The BJP has gained here in the last 14 years due to this alliance, but Sangh Parivar has surprised the Dhumal camp by fielding Ajay Dharwal. Others in the fray are BSP’s Het Singh Verma, a new face, and Lok Janshakti Party’s Surinder Singh, a former Congressman, but both will corner some votes in their areas as these parties have no roots here.

Anurag Thakur has pepped up Gulab Singh’s campaign. On the other hand, the Congress has lost contact with the masses in the last five years, a charge that Surinderpal supporters counter by claiming that “Gulab Singh is inaccessible to the common man and promoted ‘thekedar raj’ here.” The Congress and the CPM trash BJP’s achievements.

Poll facts

total voters 82,743

male voters 41,022

female voters 41,721

2007

Poll percentage 69.33

Winner Gulab Singh (BJP) 54 per cent

Runner-up Surinderpal (Congress) 40 per cent.

2003

Poll percentage 73.10

Winner Surinderpal (Congress) 53.89 per cent

Runner-up Gulab Singh (BJP) 39.50 per cent

Hamirpur: Two political families dominating the electoral politics of Hamirpur are pitted against each other for the 10th time. The families of the late BJP stalwart Jagdev Chand Thakur and Congress leader Prem Chand Verma have remained in the fray for decades.

One of Jagdev Chand’s family members contested the first Assembly elections in the state held in 1952 and its scion is in the fray for the 15th time now. It was his uncle Capt (retd) Kanshi Ram who contested from Hamirpur as an Independent in 1952. He lost two Assembly elections in 1952 and 1957 but won the seat on the Jan Sangh ticket in 1967.

Jagdev Chand contested his first election from Hamirpur on the Jan Sangh ticket in 1972, on the Janta Party ticket in 1977 and after 1982 went on to win every election on the BJP ticket till his death in 1993. After his death, his son Narinder Thakur contested on the BJP ticket against Anita Verma (Congress) in the 1994 by-election.

The next election was contested by Jagdev’s daughter-in-law Urmil Thakur. She won in 1998 and 2007 and lost in 2003. Urmil Thakur is pitted against her traditional rival Anita Verma in a newly created Sujanpur constituency in this election. Jagdev’s son Narender Thakur is contesting as the Congress candidate from Hamirpur this time.

The family of Prem Chand Verma entered the fray in 1967 and Verma was elected as MP on the Congress ticket, defeating Jagdev Chand. His son Ramesh Chand Verma contested from Hamirpur as the Congress candidate, twice in 1972 and 1977, and was elected in 1972. After his death, Ramesh’s wife Anita Verma entered the fray in 1990. She contested six times as the Congress candidate, winning in 1994 (by-election) and 2007.

Palampur: Being the hometown of Shanta Kumar, his loyalist and sitting BJP MLA Praveen Sharma is banking on the former Chief Minister’s stature and influence to defeat his Congress opponent Brij Behari Lal Butail.

The presence of former BJP legislator Dulo Ram as the Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP) nominee in the fray has made the battle interesting. BJP rebel Rajeev Jamwal has also jumped into the fray on the Trinamool Congress (TMC) ticket.

Though there are nine candidates, the contest will mainly be between Congress, BJP and HLP candidates. Sharma, who opposed Dhumal on a number of occasions, had to pay a price for it. Ravinder Singh Ravi, IPH minister and Dhumal loyalist, wielded more influence in the BJP MLA’s segment and the TMC candidate is his supporter.

BJP workers admit that Sharma has become a victim of the factional feud and only Shanta’s influence can see him through. His supporters point out that the mini-secretariat building and the degree college building are his achievements. Though Sharma enjoys a clean image, the undercutting that he could face from within the party could make the going tough for him.

Butail, who won his first election in 1985, repeated the feat in 1993, 1998 and 2003. Enjoying a good image, he is hoping to wrest the seat from the BJP by harping on the fact that Palampur became a victim of BJP factionalism.

The Congress is using the issue of district creation against Praveen by stating that had it not been for opposition from Shanta, Palampur could have been made a district. In fact, Butail is promising that if voted to power, the Congress will grant district status to Palampur.

His party is also harping on the fact that work on many projects like the solid waste management plant, multi-storeyed parking lot and residential complex for doctors has not been started.

Butail, who faced the threat of party ticket being given to Sudhir Sharma, Baijnath MLA, after his segment was reserved, has succeeded in mending his relations with Virbhadra Singh.

Dulo Ram, who represented the adjoining constituency of Baijnath in 1990 and again won in a by-poll in 1998, has shifted to Palampur with his home turf being reserved for Scheduled Caste under the delimitation process.

Hailing from the Gaddi community, he could get their support. Moreover, with nine polling stations having 4,500 votes of Baijnath now forming a part of Palampur, he could be at some advantage. The delimitation effect will also impact the results in Palampur this time. About 12,000 voters of Jaisinghpur have become a part of Palampur segment.

Statistics

PALAMPUR

total electorate 63,613

male voters 32,849

female voters 30,764

2007

Winner Praveen Sharma (BJP), polled 50.03 per cent votes

2003

Winner Brij Behari Lal Butail, polled 53.79 per cent votes 

Bhoranj: In this constituency, earlier Mewa, four candidates are in the fray, but the main contest is between Education Minister Ishwar Dass Dhiman and Ramesh Chand Dogra of the Congress. Dhiman, who had won this seat in five consecutive elections since 1990, is pitted against Dogra, a new candidate.

Dhiman had entered electoral politics after seeking retirement in 1990 and had been winning since then. Soft-spoken Dhiman is known for his simplicity, honesty and humility and takes credit for carrying out several development works like opening a private university and a government college.

The merger of 17 panchayats of the Bamsan constituency, including the ancestral village of Dhumal, has given additional support to Dhiman. Though there were talks in the last few months of replacing Dhiman, who is in his 70s, by his son, Dhiman opted to contest himself.

The Congress, after losing the elections five times, has changed its candidate this time. Congress rebels, in the last few elections, have been one of the major reasons for several defeats in this constituency. This time, the party has succeeded in persuading Promila Devi of the Congress to withdraw her nomination.

The Congress candidate has an uphill task to introduce himself to the voters, being a new candidate, and to carry faction leaders along to put a challenge to the well-entrenched Dhiman. Ramesh Chand is banking on votes of his caste, coupled with the Congress vote bank, to defeat Dhiman.

Statistics

total voters 71,412

2007

ID Dhiman won by 10,357 votes

He polled 24,421 votes (60%)

Suresh Kumar (Congress) polled 14,046 votes

2003

ID Dhiman won by 1,329 votes

He polled 22,778 votes (51%)

Suresh Kumar (Congress) polled 21,449 votes

Hamirpur, October 21
HPCC president Virbhadra Singh has accused sections of the media for allegedly conspiring against him to tarnish his image.

Addressing an election meeting at the Gandhi Chowk here last evening, Virbhadra said: “There has not been a single day when Chief Minister PK Dhumal after assuming power has not tried to harass me, but I am ready to face all such challenges.”

Clarifying his position in his alleged involvement in the land allotment to a housing company, he said: “I have not given benefit of a single paisa to this company during my tenure as CM and I am ready to face any probe in the matter.”

Targeting the state government, the Congress leader accused, the Chief Minister, a few cabinet ministers and certain officials of minting money through alleged shady deals and the actual place of Dhumal is not the CM's chair but the Central jail, Nahan,” he said.

Mandi, October 21
All-India Congress Committee president Sonia Gandhi will address the first big rally in support of party candidates at the Paddal Maidan here tomorrow to woo electors for state Assembly poll billed for November 4.

The Mandi Congress is facing three rebels in Mandi, Chet Ram in Seraj, Mast Ram in Karsog and Shakuntla Kashyap in Balh, and three rebels, Dharamvir Dhami in Manali, Premlata in Kullu Sadar and Ishwar Das in Karsog, in Kullu district.

According to party sources, Sonia would be accompanied by state party president Virbhadra Singh, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, party in charge Birender Chaudhary, Leader of Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha Vidya Stokes and others.

Shimla, October 21
Unlike the Congress, the BJP has adopted a wait-and-watch policy before expelling rebels from the party, giving them some more time to retire from the contest, failing which action will be taken.

While the Congress took prompt action by expelling five rebels on the last day of withdrawal of nominations yesterday, the BJP is not keen to take any drastic step at this juncture.

Senior party leaders, including Chief Minister PK Dhumal, national vice-presidents Shanta Kumar and Kalraj Mishra, national general secretary JP Nadda and other leaders are still trying to persuade rebels to withdraw.

“We have decided to give time to rebels till October 22 to retire from the contest. It is only after the deadline ends that we will contemplate action,” said Praveen Sharma, state BJP vice-president.

He said all senior leaders were trying to persuade rebels to retire from the contest in favour of official nominees.

Some heavyweights who can damage BJP’s prospects are former minister and sitting Sundernagar MLA Roop Singh Thakur, Kangra MP Rajan Sushant’s wife Sudha Sushant from Fatehpur, Pawan Kajal from Kangra, Dharamshala Municipal Corporation president Kamla Patyal, HN Kashyap from Solan, Tarsem Bharti from Shimla, Rajinder Rana from Sujanpur, Manohar Dhiman from Indora and Sham Lal from Mandi.

Interestingly, Roop Singh Thakur is still the chairman of the BJP’s State Disciplinary Committee.

As such, action against him will be taken by state party chief Satpal Singh Satti in case he does not retire from the contest.

The Congress, which expelled five leaders yesterday, did not taken action against any other leaders today who could damage the prospects of party nominees.

Action against a dozen Congress rebels who are still in the fray is still awaited, with a majority of them being loyalists of Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee chief Virbhadra Singh.

It remains to be seen whether the Congress cracks the whip on others defying the party diktat or only a select few.

Panarsa (Mandi), October 21
Chief Minister PK Dhumal and other leaders gave a punch to the BJP campaign in Darang today in support of party candidate Jawahar Lal Thakur and attacked Union Minister Anand Sharma, saying that the UPA government had failed to protect the interests of the state.

Addressing a rally at Panarsa in Darang, Dhumal managed to put up a united show of strength against Congress leader Kaul Singh before the electorate in Darang by bringing back Ramesh Sharma, a BJP ticker-seeker, who had played a spoilsport in 2007, on the same platform today.

Dhumal took a dig at Kaul Singh, saying that “he is tired now and people should give him rest”.

“The Congress won in Darang because BJP votes used to be divided here, but this time it will not happen,” he asserted.

Terming the Congress manifesto as a repeat of the BJP’s last manifesto, Dhumal claimed that the BJP had started the poly house scheme for farmers and laptops scheme for meritorious students.

Anand Sharma had failed to protect the interests of the state as the UPA government was advocating the FDI in retail that would hit small retailers, he alleged.

BJP national leader OP Dhankar and state general secretary Ram Swarop Sharma also attacked the Congress on the corruption issue and charged that the BJP would perform its “mission repeat” to make way for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Ramesh Sharma and Jawahar Lal also addressed the rally and put up a united front from the Snor valley, a significant vote bank, where Kaul had secured a decisive lead in 2007.

Chamba, October 21
National vice-president of the BJP Shanta Kumar has explicitly stated that PK Dhumal, who is the present Chief Minister, would become the Chief Minister for the third time, as it was certain that the BJP would form the next government in the state.

While addressing a press conference here today, Shanta expressed his confidence that the BJP would win the Assembly elections.

He said: “The present BJP regime has done good work in the state and we are seeking votes on development.”

Shanta said the Congress-led Central Government had been exposed as everyday new scams were surfacing, so who would vote for the Congress.

He added that stringent action would be taken against rebels and they would never be taken back.

Chandi (Baddi), October 21
The Congress today defended the grant of ticket to politicians’ sons and daughters. Such ticket were granted on merit as these candidates had the potential to win.

This was stated by Virender Chowdhary, in charge, Himachal, and general secretary, All-India Congress Committee, while addressing a public rally at Chandi in the Doon constituency in favour of Congress candidate Ramkumar Chowdhary. He said politicians belonging to political families in their party were honest, unlike the BJP where the father-son-father-in-law trio had been indulging in large-scale corruption in Himachal.

Earlier, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma said the Centre had extended an aid of Rs 17,000 crore in the past five years for various schemes.

Spelling out their poll agenda, Sharma said a skill development corporation would be set up with an investment of Rs 500 crore. This would enable youth to pick up vocational skills. He said the social security pension would be enhanced, free medical facilities to the poor extended and educated unemployed youth given an unemployment allowance of Rs 1,000. Besides this, panchayats where the number of women exceeded 250, would be provided a stitching or computer center for getting employment.

Chowdhary, while addressing the rally, said BJP’s Doon MLA Vinod Chandel had failed to address the key problems of the area, including road connectivity, availability of potable water and had degraded the post of MLA as the coterie surrounding her had been operating as proxy legislators. 

Shimla, October 21
Election fervour might have gripped the hill state here, but its impact is being felt overseas in London where the legal battle to get back the George Cross awarded posthumously to Naik Kirpa Ram from Bilaspur in 1946 is being fought in the Queen’s Court.

The Himachal police has been able to put up a legal fight in the court to prevent the London Metropolitan Police from returning the medal to Ashok Nath, who claims to be its original owner, only because of London-based lawyer Vijay Sharma. Sharma is fighting the case on the behalf of Brahmi Devi, octogenarian widow of Naik Kirpa Ram of the 8th Battalion Frontier Force Rifles.

Hailing from Himachal, he offered to plead the case free of any charge, but his request to the authorities to meet the court fee and other such expenses has not evoked any response from the Himachal police.

On October 8 that Sharma wrote a letter to the Indian High Commission seeking payment of £1,670 (Rs 1.33 lakh) which he had paid from his personal account for meeting the court expenses.

The Indian High Commission forwarded Sharma’s request to the Himachal police. Those who have been closely associated with the case say they have been told by the police that the payment and any expenditure with regard to the case can be made only after a new government is formed after the polls.

Efforts to arrange these funds through the Himachal Ex-servicemen League also failed due to the polls. “I approached the general secretary of the League to seek financial help, but there too we were told to wait till elections are over as president of the League Vijai Singh Mankotia is contesting the polls,” said SS Chandel, a retired bureaucrat.

Though the Himachal police managed to stall the auction of the medal by Dix Noonan Webb in London on December 9, 2009, paucity of funds can hamper the legal fight to bring it back to India.

Dharamsala, October 21
The police faces the enormous task of getting firearms and ammunition of licensed gun holders deposited in police stations or with registered arms dealers in Kangra district.

As per the data collected from the office of the District Magistrate, there are 35,827 licensed arms in the district. This includes .12-bore single and double barrel guns, old muskets, revolvers and pistols. Each licensed gun holder will have a registered ammunition of between 20 and 25 bullets.

As per the election code of conduct, all licensed gun holders have been directed to deposit arms and ammunition in the nearest police station or with registered arms dealers. The step has been taken to prevent the misuse of arms and ammunition during elections.

Since there are only a few registered arms dealers, the task on being the custodian of arms and ammunition is of the police. This can be a burden for the Kangra police, facing staff shortage in view of the area it has to manage.

When contacted, Kangra Superintendent of Police Diljeet Thakur admitted that collecting all 35,827 arms and the ammunition in the entire district was an enormous task.