Even as both Congress and BJP are making tall claims of securing win in bypolls to the Mandi Lok Sabha seat and assembly constituencies of Arki, Fatehpur and Jubbal Kotkhai started on Thursday, the rebellion in both the parties may spoil their chances.
While Congress party is facing rebellion in Arki and Fatehpur assembly segments, the ruling BJP may face stiff challenge in Fatehpur and Jubbal Kotkhai assembly segments.
The ruling BJP was facing rebellion in Fatehpur assembly segment wherein the supporters of Kripal Singh Parmar, who had contested 2017 assembly polls, had resigned from party posts after Baldev Thakur was announced as party candidate.
The Fatehpur block BJP workers rued that ticket had been given to such candidate (Baldev Thakur) who had contested as independent candidate against Parmar in 2017 assembly polls.
In Jubbal Kotkhai, Chetan Bragta, the son of former minister and late MLA Narinder Bragta, today carried out a show of strength after he was denied ticket and stated that Neelam Saraik, the official candidate, had worked against the party in the past.
“I had never demanded the party ticket but after the death of my father, I was told to visit the constituency as I was the party’s face for bypolls. But now I have been denied ticket saying I am the product of dynastic politics,” Bragta said.
Bragta stated that if his supporters ask him to lead them in bypolls, he will go to any lengths to fulfill their wishes.
The opposition party Congress too was facing similar situations in Arki and Fatehpur assembly segments.
In Arki, Congress party office bearers had openly challenged the decision of party high command to grant ticket to Sanjay Awasthi and the entire block committee had resigned.
Awasthi is considered to be loyalist of former state chief Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and the party workers had accused him of working against the official party candidate, late Virbhadra Singh in 2017 assembly elections.
This had led to the state party chief Kuldeep Singh Rathore dismissing the block Congress unit and had appointed an interim head, and not only this, the party had appointed 11 observers for Arki assembly constituency.
In Fatehpur too, the party office bearers and ticket aspirants accused the party leaders of following dynastic politics by allotting ticket to Bhawani Singh Pathania, the son of former minister and late MLA Sunjan Singh Pathania.
They had even announced to contest elections and had proposed the name of Thakur Nishwar Singh as an independent candidate from the constituency.
State BJP chief Kuldeep Singh Rathore said they are getting huge support from the general public on these assembly segments and the party is confident of securing victory.
“We are engaged in dialogue with the dissidents and are hopeful of resolving their concerns,” he told The Statesman.
State BJP chief Suresh Kashyap said these issues will be resolved amicably after discussions with dissidents.
“We are all party workers and we will take all dissidents along in the bypolls,” he told The Statesman.
The bypolls in Himachal Pradesh were necessitated due to the deaths of six-time CM and Arki MLA Virbhadra Singh, the two time MP from Mandi Lok Sabha seat Ramswaroop Sharma, Fatehpur MLA and ex-minister Sujan Singh Pathania and Jubbal Kotkhai MLA and ex-minister Narinder Bragta.