Kullu: The present scion of the erstwhile Rupi Kullu kingdom, Maheshwar Singh, is fighting a do-or-die battle in the 35 years of his political life. He is pitted against three first-timers: Congress rebel Prem Lata Thakur, Sunder Thakur of the Congress and Ram Singh of the BJP in a multi-cornered contest. BSP, NCP and an Independent candidate are also in the fray, but they are struggling to find their feet.

Kullu politics has thrived around charas mafias, van mafias and ‘jadi-buti’ or herb mafias. No candidate has come clean on his stand on these issues here so far, feel voters. From Malana and Manikaran to the Lug Valley, cannabis continues to be grown and most of Kullu bigwigs allegedly defend, protect and encourage cultivators in villages. Opposing them will cost them dear, voters allege.

For Maheshwar Singh, the stakes are too high after he raised a banner of revolt against Chief Minister PK Dhumal and formed his party, Himachal Lokhit Party, a breakaway group of BJP rebels. It has completely upset the BJP cadre in Kullu district.

A three-time BJP MP and two-time MLA from Banjar, Maheshwar is re-charting his political course in Kullu on the basis of devta politics, his old royal ties and his alleged protection for queer Dasehra customs and cannabis cultivators in remote villages. His electoral fate depends on how he cuts into the BJP cadres and the Sangh Parivar that he supported for 35 years.

Human rights activists also bay for his blood for being “rudimentary” in protecting queer Dasehra customs like animal sacrifice, his ‘palki yatra’ as Narsingh avatar on human shoulders. But voters here neither protect nor oppose Maheshwar on these rituals in public. He feels human rights activists will kill the Dasehra spirit and no ceremony can take place without these rituals.

Maheshwar won from Banjar during anti-Emergency wave in 1977 on Janta Party ticket. He became MP thrice. He says there are no local issues and the HLP has focused on major issues in its manifesto and that issues do not change overnight.

Roads in Lug, Malana, Manikaran and Gadsa valleys are in a bad shape. There is no bus service on a dozen routes in remote villages. Local youth have gone astray due to the drug menace and lean tourism in Kullu town has pushed many hoteliers out of the trade, they rue.

On the other hand, the Sangh Parivar has surprised voters and kardars in the valley of gods by fielding a weaver-turned-politician Ram Singh. He had taken former BJP president and Banjar MLA Khimi Ram head-on and accused him of using “caste-related” remarks against him two years ago. Ram Singh has pumped his might into the campaign, but he stands on a sticky wicket as far as caste and regional combinations in Kullu are concerned. Sangh is with him and banking on the work that the BJP has done in Kullu, his supporters claim.

The Ram Singh-Khimi Ram spat may favour Satya Parkash Thakur, a Virbhadra Singh loyalist, who is fighting a proxy war for his political survival through his wife Prem Lata Thakur. Khimi Ram is also looking for some gain from this “tactical understanding” in his home segment in Banjar. Prem Lata who won the Zila Parishad polls with a good margin, is banking upon the anti-BJP, anti-Maheshwar and a divided Congress vote bank that may split between her and Congress candidate Sundar Thakur. Both Prem Lata and Sunder have their roots in the Lug valley, a significant vote bank. There are three other Congress ticket-seekers-Gopal Krishan Mahant, Manu Sharma, Arun Sharma, Ses Ram who are yet to join active campaigning for Sunder Thakur, a hotelier-turned-politician, who belongs to a timber contractor family of the Lug valley.

Being a new face, Sundar is banking upon the Congress cadre and youth. His campaign is yet to get a boost as none of the star campaigners have held a big rally in Kullu town, which is hosting the world famous Dasehra with fervour till October 30. 

Bharmour: This tribal constituency is witnessing a contest between old Congress warhorse Thakur Singh Bharmouri and new BJP candidate Jiya Lal.

The BJP denied the party ticket to sitting MLA and Assembly Speaker Tulsi Ram to beat anti-incumbency in the constituency. Tulsi Ram initially decided to field his wife as a rebel. However, he was persuaded by the party high command and decided to support Jiya Lal.

Bharmouri is a folk singer and is popular for singing folk songs during political rallies. He has also established a rapport in the area. Though he is considered strong in the town, which has the biggest habitation in the constituency, he is considered weak in far-flung areas and the Holi area.

With the change of candidate, the BJP has checked anti-incumbency. Jiya Lal has had been working in the area for quite some time.

He has been accepted by the people accusing Tulsi Ram of not fulfilling their aspirations. The tribal constituency is spread across a vast area and candidates have put in a lot labour to reach voters.

The result of the election will depend on inter-personal relations of both candidates. While Virbhadra Singh has campaigned in the area for his loyalist Bharmouri, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha national president Anurag Thakur has campaigned for Jiya Lal.

Junga: The entry of Vijay Jyoti from the royal family of the erstwhile princely state of Keonthal as an Independent has added a new dimension to the multi-cornered electoral battle in Kasumpti, upsetting the calculations of the major parties. It is the one of the few seats where the BJP is not in the fight while Himachal Lok Morcha partners CPM and Himachal Lokhit Party are having a friendly contest.

Congress candidate Anirudh Singh and CPM candidate Kuldeep Tanwar are both from the erstwhile Kiar Koti state and are close relatives. The two are banking on the vote banks of their respective parties. Sitting Rohru MLA Khushi Ram Balnatah has quit the BJP to contest as the HLP candidate.

Eight candidates are contesting from this seat, de-reserved after three decades, for the first time. Thus, there is no anti-incumbency factor. The other candidates are Prem Singh (BJP), Dharam Pal Sharma (BSP), Jagdish Kumar Chandel (SP) and Dineshwar Dutt (Independent).

Delimitation has changed the complexion of the constituency as a large part of it has been shifted to Shimla Rural constituency and some areas from Theog and Shimla have been added to it. It has acquired a semi-urban character and has more voters of upper Shimla origin.

The presence of Vijay Jyoti, who is the sister-in-law of Pratibha Singh, will divide the Congress vote. Moreover, there are more panchayats in Kenothal than Kiar Koti. As such, she will be a force to reckon with. Anirudh Singh also commands much influence, which enabled him to become chairman of the Zila Parishad.

Virbhadra Singh has addressed meetings in his support and issued an appeal in his favour. Similarly, Balnatah, who had been contesting against Virbhadra Singh since 1993, will corner the BJP vote, particularly in the employee-dominated urban areas of Kasumpti and New Shimla. He is the only candidate from upper Shimla and likely to get the support of voters hailing from the area.

Tanwar has been consistently raising the issues of monkey menace, regularisation of unauthorised constructions, marketing problems of farmers, water shortage and others for almost five years. It is going to be a close finish.

Ghumarwin: The presence of rebels is giving a tough time to both parties. The Congress has fielded sitting MLA Rajesh Dharmani again. The BJP has chosen a new candidate, Rajinder Garg. They are facing former party MLAs who have jumped into the fray as rebels.

With former Chief Parliamentary Secretary and three-time MLA Kashmir Singh Thakur deciding to try his fortunes as an Independent, the Congress is worried. Though he has not been very active in the area for the past some time due to ill-health, he has limited pockets of influence.

The situation for the BJP is no better. Former BJP MLA Karam Dev Dharmani is contesting on the Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP) ticket.

He won in 1990 and in 2003. He has been the Bilaspur district chief of the BJP and has the potential to cause considerable damage to the BJP vote bank.

Another leader, Rakesh Chopra, is contesting as an Independent. Though his stature may not be as tall as Dharmani’s, he has a limited vote bank as he has been vice-president of the Ghumarwin Nagar Panchayat.

BJP candidate Garg has the full backing of the RSS and BJP’s national general secretary JP Nadda. With the party cadres divided, he has been put at a disadvantage.

Congress candidate Dharmani enjoys the good image of being a sincere and upright leader.

He has been active in the constituency and has maintained close contact with the electorate.

Una: This constituency is witnessing a multi-cornered contest this time, with sitting MLA Satpal Singh Satti in the fray for the third time. A former ABVP leader, Satti broke the dominance of the Congress in this constituency in 2003.

He is facing former NSUI leader Satpal Singh Raizada, who is the Congress candidate. Though the BJP candidate is getting the support of cadres, he is also facing anti-incumbency.

Satti is taking credit for carrying out development works in the constituency during his tenure. Some of these works are setting up a hockey Astroturf in Una, implementing drinking water and irrigation schemes, starting work on the Swan channelisation project and constructing an embankment on the left bank of the Swan.

Raizada is a new entrant and is making efforts to capitalise on anti-incumbency. He is resourceful and has the support of the youth brigade.

He is banking on the Congress vote bank and the support of the youth. He is blaming the sitting MLA for problems in the area and has promised to solve the drinking water problem within a year of getting elected.

OP Rattan, who was elected on the Congress ticket in 1993 and had switched over to the Himachal Vikas Congress, is contesting on the Trinamool Congress (TMC) ticket this time. He is highlighting the failure of the Congress and the BJP. CPM candidate Gurnam Singh is highlighting corruption, price rise and problems of farmers and working class. He is banking on Left cadres and farmers.

Keylong, October 30
For 326 Buddhist tribal voters, Hikkim at 4,200m is a virtual polling station in clouds, the highest in the world, with Komik, the world’s highest village, situated at 4,275m.

It has no direct connectivity with the outside world and the Election Commission has armed its polling team with very high frequency (VHF) sets and satellite phones to conduct Assembly poll on November 4.

But there are no takers for their 326 votes. Out of the 326 voters, 177 are males and 150 females.

There is no phone connectivity in Komik, a quiet Buddhist hamlet of 114 villagers, virtually living in clouds, braving the harshest six winter months. The village has electricity and a road link.

There are as many as six candidates in the fray for the Lahaul-Spiti Assembly seat, where female voters outnumber male voters. But no one has reached Komik, 20 km from Kaza, to get their votes.

“We have heard that Congress candidate Ravi Thakur had come to the Hikkim area, but no one reached us,” say Tangpa Gyelso and Karzang, residents of Komik on phone from Kaza, a sub-divisional headquarters of Spiti.

The local monastery or gompa, perched at the mountaintop at 4,500 mtrs from Komik, always abuzz with life.

The Hikkim polling station comprises three villages of Komik, Langche and Hikkim. The night temperature dips below minus 5°C while the day temperature is 15°C here. There were 20 polling stations - 13 in Spiti sub-division and seven in Lahaul - in this cold district that had no direct connectivity, said district election officer-cum-DC, Lahaul-Spiti, SS Guleria.

Dharamsala, October 30
Congress president Sonia Gandhi at a political rally held in Kangra today attributed price rise in the country on external factors. She said there was a global economic crisis which was increasing the prices of essential items all over the world.

The present government at the Centre had tried to protect the common man from the price rise, but the impact of global recession was also showing in India, she said.

She said Congress-ruled states had announced to provide three additional LPG cylinders to consumers from their resources. However, the BJP-ruled states had failed to give any such privilege to their residents, she claimed.

Sonia said people of the region had special love for the Congress since the time of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. In case the Congress government was voted to power, it would take steps to promote the tea industry of Kangra, she said.

Sonia supported the move of the Union government to allow the FDI in multi-brand retail. She said the FDI would bring in investment in the country and increase income of farmers and provide employment to the youth. She also claimed that the Union government had kept the provision that in case any state did not want the FDI, the government of that state could decline to allow the FDI within its respective area.

HPCC chief Virbhadra Singh said the rallies of Sonia Gandhi had given strength to the party. He claimed the BJP was perturbed at the success of the Congress campaign and was resorting to character assassination. “However, I shall not be perturbed by this propaganda of the BJP and will carry on the party campaign till November 4,” he said.

Chandresh Kumari, the newly inducted Union Minister for Culture who is also the former Dharamsala MLA, said she could not come to the area because of the death of her mother-in-law. She said she would campaign for the party over the next few days.

Union Minister of Commerce, Industry and Textiles Anand Sharma and party in-charge for Himachal Barinder Singh also addressed the rally.

The Congress rally fared better than the Narender Modi and Mayawati rallies held at the same venue over the past two days in terms of the show of strength. Better attendance was attributed to the contribution of all Congress candidates from Kangra.

Kandaghat, October 30
Smriti Irani, president, All-India Mahila Morcha, BJP, today said the anti-poor stance of the Congress had been exposed in its failure to feed the poor despite directions of the Apex Court.

She alleged tonnes of precious wheat had rotted due to improper storage facilities. Instead of distributing it to the poor, the Congress-led UPA government preferred to sell it to liquor manufacturers, she rued.

Addressing a rally in favour of BJP candidate Sheila Kumari, she alleged that the Congress government was anti-poor and anti-women and it had been shying from its responsibility to protect women.

She said it was shameful that despite having a woman Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, Delhi had become unsafe for women even in daylight and instead of owing responsibility for the deteriorating law and order situation Dikshit had instead been blaming women for such mishaps. She said this reflected that the government was shunning responsibility and it had failed to provide security to women even at the workplace.

She claimed that Narender Modi-led government in Gujarat had taken a lead in providing maximum number of jobs, while the Congress had failed miserably to check the problem of unemployment.

She said not only was the condition of women in various Congress-ruled states miserable, but it was shameful to admit that even nari niketans in Mumbai had become rape centres.

Smriti said the women-oriented schemes like ‘Beti Hai Anmol’ introduced by the PK Dhumal-led state government and 50 per cent reservation for women in civic bodies had helped empower women.

Smriti claimed the BJP would distribute induction heaters free of cost if voted to power.

Earlier, BJP candidate Sheila Kumari urged people for their support.

Shimla, October 30
Chief Minister PK Dhumal today accused state Congress chief Virbhadra Singh of spreading regionalism for his political interests.

Dhumal addressed an election rally at Theog. “The former Chief Minister has always tried to divide Himachal in upper and lower belt for petty vote bank politics,” he said. He said on the contrary, the BJP had tried to bridge the gap between lower and upper Himachal with uniform and balanced development.

He said the BJP had always protected the interests of apple growers and farmers. “Our regime has been increasing the support price of apples over the past five years and a huge marketing yard is being constructed at the cost of Rs 100 crore,” he said.

He said the wrong economic policies of the UPA regime were responsible for rampant corruption and inflation in the country. He said his government had implemented the election manifesto, which had been adopted as a policy document in letter and spirit. “We have won the faith and trust of the people as we gave what we had promised and even went beyond to provide relief to every section of the society,” he said.

He said it was under the BJP rule that Himachal had emerged as a model hill state with health, education, infrastructure development and environment emerging as the key areas.

He also urged the people of the state to vote for the BJP if they wanted the pace of development to accelerate further. He sought votes in favour of BJP candidate from Theog Rakesh Verma.

Shimla, October 30
The impressive win of the CPM in the Shimla Municipal Corporation (MC) polls has rekindled the hopes of the Left parties to enter the Vidhan Sabha after a span of 20 years. Rakesh Singh of the CPM was the last to represent the party in 1993.

Two CPI legislators represented the party in the Assembly for the first time in 1967. A resounding victory in the Shimla MC polls has energised the party cadres.

The CPM has fielded 16 candidates and it has entered into an electoral alliance with the Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP) and the CPI under the banner of Himachal Lok Morcha (HLM). Some of the CPM candidates, including Tikender Panwar (Shimla), Rakesh Singha (Theog) and Kuldeep Tanwar (Kasumpti) are going very strong. Very good image and direct contact with the people are the strong points common to them all.

Senior CPM leaders, including Sitaram Yechury and Brinda Karat, along with senior CPM leaders, have been taking keen interest in the polls in the hill state. The presence of a large workforce at hydro-power projects, cement plants and industrial units, offers room for the Left to make an impact.

CPM Politburo member Brinda Karat feels that the time is ripe for the CPM to provide the much-needed political alternative. “With both Congress and the BJP being synonymous with corruption, people are looking for an alternative which the CPM has provided in other states,” she said. She is confident that in the Assembly polls the CPM will emerge as a formidable force which will strengthen its base in the coming days.

Prior to the Shimla MC elections, the CPM had virtually been confined to Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), which has been their citadel. In the 1967 Assembly there were MLAs Paras Ram (Jaswan) and Babu Ram (Baijnath) represented the CPI and the vote share of the CPI was 2.89 per cent. In the 1972 elections, Tulsi Ram of the CPM won from Balh in Mandi. It was in 1993 that Rakesh Singha won from Shimla Assembly seat.

The CPM candidate in Theog, former MLA Singha, is giving a tough time to both Congress and the BJP. Similarly, Tanwar, a retired Indian Forest Services (IFS) officer, who is in the fray from Kasumpti too has made the contest very keen. Along with them is Deputy Mayor from Shimla, Panwar who again is a popular face. how voters react to the idea of the Left as a political alternative in the state remains to be seen.

Chamba, October 30
Congress leader Pawan Nayyar, who is contesting the Assembly elections from Chamba, has lashed out at the BJP-led state government for neglecting Chamba district in the past five years.

Nayyar said here yesterday that in the past five years of the BJP regime not even a single new project was sanctioned for Chamba.

He said the BJP government only inaugurated those projects which had been launched by the Congress government. Nayyar said the BJP government had failed to fill posts of doctor in rural health institutions and specialists in the local Regional Hospital. — OC

New Delhi/Shimla, October 30
The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, in a letter to the Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary, has decried animal slaughter for wooing voters with meat.

“Politicians and candidates are organising lavish feasts for voters, for which goats and sheep are being slaughtered in large numbers,” the board notes.

“This is an extremely unhealthy and unwelcome trend. It is also obvious that the law of the land is being violated in the wholesale slaughter,” AWBI adds.

“Election victories should, of course, be determined by the ability of the candidates to address developmental and other issues in the state, and improve the life of humans and non-humans inhabiting it. What is additionally worrying for us and several concerned law-abiding citizens is that candidates, panchayat pradhans and politicians themselves seem to be encouraging infractions of law in the large-scale slaughter that is being resorted to for votes,” the board states.

Quoting provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, the board has called for the issuance of communication to all party heads, circulation to all party candidates, panchayat pradhans, politicians and others concerned, bringing these provisions of law to their notice.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Sudripta Roy feigned ignorance about the letter, adding that any relevant instructions issued by the state's Chief Electoral Officer in this matter would be complied with.

Palampur, October 30
Virbhadra Singh, former Chief Minister and HPCC president, today said the BJP had failed to execute all development projects in this region.

Addressing mediapersons at Jaisinghpur yesterday, Virbhadra said in Palampur all major projects like the Vikram Batra Degree College complex, the Civil Hospital and the Mini Secretariat were initiated when he was the Chief Minister and Brij Butail an MLA. Thus, the credit for the projects went to the BJP.

He said not only Palampur, but entire Kangra district lagged in development during the BJP regime as people of this region had paid a heavy price because of the differences between Shanta Kumar and Prem Kumar Dhumal and the development of the area had suffered. He said Chief Minister Dhumal had laid the foundation stone for over 100 projects in Kangra, out of which the construction of only 30 per cent projects was started while the remaining foundation stones remained mere show pieces. The funds given by the Centre for these projects had elapsed, he pointed out.

He said the Congress would win more than 12 seats out of 15 in Kangra. He claimed that had witnessed an anti-BJP wave after visiting the entire state.

He claimed that the charges levelled against him by the BJP were politically motivated and he was ready to face any probe. He said Dhumal had launched political vendetta against Congress leaders soon after soon after taking over as Chief Minister in 2008. He said the Congress would make efforts for the quick disposal of all pending cases registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act in the state.

Kullu, October 30
The week-long international Kullu Dasehra concluded with the ‘Lanka Dahan’ ceremony here today. The ceremony was performed near the Beas by the present scion of the erstwhile royal family of Kullu, Maheshwar Singh and his brother Karan Singh.

In the presence of more than 227 devis and devtas in Dhalpur Maidan, the traditional Rath of Lord Raghunath rolled out for the ‘Lanka Dahan’ ceremony amidst chants of ‘Har Har Mahadev’. Goddess Hidimba Devi descended to the site of ‘Lanka Dahan’ while other devtas went back to their camps before going back home after the ceremony.

After the sacrifice of seven animals was offered to Hidimba Devi during the ‘Lanka Dahan’ ceremony she left for her temple at Manali.

The devis and devtas started their journey back home after the ceremony in the evening to various parts of the Kullu district.

The concluding ceremony was held at the Lal Chand Prarthi Kala Kendra. The chief guest, Chief Secretary Sudripto Roy, urged people to protect the colourful tradition of Kullu Dasehra as well as rich folk culture of the state.

Vice-president of Kullu Dasehra committee-cum-Deputy Commissioner, Kullu, Dr Amandeep Garg, said over 227 devis and devtas took part in the festival.

Solan, October 30
Two teams of flying squads in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) industrial area seized cash over Rs 46 lakh this evening.

In the first case, a team led by ASI Ramesh Chand and naib tehsildaar TN Negi seized Rs 9.66 lakh cash from a Maruti car (HP-52-0422) at Deerowal barrier this evening.

According to SP, Baddi, S Arul occupants of the car, including Narinder, Jitender and Khem Chand, claimed that they were returning from Jalandhar after selling vegetables. But since they failed to produce any document proving their claim, officials of the Income Tax Department were called who after verifying the claim would take further action in the matter.

In another incident, cash worth Rs 37 lakh was seized from another car at the Vardhman Chowk in Baddi. Occupants of the car were yet to present documents.