After Sudhir Sharma’s exit, race for Congress ticket from Dharamsala hots up

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, March 31

After Congress rebel MLA Sudhir Sharma joined the BJP, many young Congress leaders from the area are trying for party ticket for the forthcoming byelections in the constituency. The BJP has allotted ticket to Sudhir for the Dharamsala bypoll. The leaders, who are staking claim to the Congress ticket, are holding press conferences and blaming Sudhir for betraying the party.

Those in race

• Among those who have staked their claim to the ticket are Vijay Inder Karan, who had unsuccessfully contested the Dharamsala byelection in 2019
• Former Mayor Davinder Jaggi is also in the race. Jaggi had support of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Congress members in the Dharamsala MC
• Rakesh Chaudhary, an OBC leader from Dharamsala who recently resigned from the BJP, has also shown interest in contesting poll
• Some Congress leaders were proposing the name of a member of the Kangra royal family. Former Union Minister Chandresh Kumari, who belongs to the Kangra royal family, has a strong base in Dharamsala

A meeting of the district Youth Congress was held at Dharamsala yesterday and it was demanded that the party should give ticket to some young leader. They also organised a rally in Dharamsala to protest against the Union Government and the rebel Congress MLAs.

Among those who have staked their claim to the ticket include Vijay Inder Karan, who had unsuccessfully contested the Dharamsala byelection in 2019. Karan blames Sudhir for losing elections. He told mediapersons here that Sudhir had ignored Congress workers of Dharamsala and was not available to people since he won the 2022 Assembly elections. He claimed that all Congress leaders from Dharamsala were united and would support anybody who was given ticket for the bypoll. Karan, a Gaddi leader from Dharamsala, had lost his deposit in the 2019 Assembly bypoll.

Other contenders for the Congress ticket from Dharamsala are former Mayor Davinder Jaggi. Sources said Jaggi had support of the CM and Congress members in the Dharamsala MC, including Mayor Neenu Sharma. Jaggi has been at the forefront in countering Sudhir since he left the party and joined the BJP. However, a section of Congress leaders feels that though Jaggi may have a strong base in Dharamsala city, he does not have enough supporters in rural areas.

Rakesh Chaudhary, an OBC leader from Dharamsala who had contested the 2022 Assembly elections on the BJP ticket, resigned from the BJP after it nominated Sudhir. He had also shown interest in contesting elections on Congress ticket. Chaudhary had made electoral entry as an Independent candidate in 2019 byelections. He got about 16,000 votes. Due to this, the BJP gave him ticket in 2022. He, however, lost to Sudhir by a margin of about 3,000 votes.

Sources said that some Congress leaders were proposing the name of a member of the Kangra royal family for the byelection. Former Union Minister Chandresh Kumari, who belongs to the Kangra royal family, has a strong base in Dharamsala and some leaders are proposing that her son Ashwarya Katoch or daughter-in-law Shailja Katoch be given party ticket.