Ahead of allotment of ticket for the bye-poll to be held in Lahaul and Spiti, a revolt broke out in the Congress party over ticket distribution.

The by-poll necessitated in the wake of the Assembly seat falling vacant after Ravi Thakur joined the BJP and is contesting the June 1 bye-elections to the seat that he had held.

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Ravi Thakur is one of the six Congress dissidents who cross-voted in favour of BJP Rajya Sabha candidate Harsh Mahajan on February 27.

Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania later disqualified these MLAs from the House under the anti-defection law for defying the party wip.

Now, with the speculations rise that the Congress might give ticket to former BJP MLA and minister Ram Lal Markanda from the constituency is causing disenchantment among the Congress cadre.

Markanda had resigned shortly after BJP announced Ravi Thakur’s candidature from the constituency. He had also indicated that he had kept his options open and might contest as a Congress candidate or as an independent candidate.

The party’s office bearers of Lahaul and Spiti block unit are said to have met the Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and expressed their resentment against allotment of ticket to Markanda.

The party workers believe the trend of importing candidates to contest elections would demoralise the party workers who dedicate their life to strengthen the party.

The office bearers, along with one of the party contenders for the ticket, former NSUI Lahaul and Spiti district president and ex-district Youth Congress president Suresh Kardo on Monday have threatened to resign.

Kardo said, “We will not accept Markanda’s candidacy whatsoever. If he is given the ticket all the Lahaul and Spiti district officer bears will mass resign.”

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, in his 15-month tenure, visited the district thrice even under hostile circumstances when the temperatures had dipped to minus nine degree Celsius, he claimed.

As far as the BJP is concerned, be it during the tenure of former BJP CMs Prem Kumar Dhumal or Jai Ram Thakur, the people of the district waited for them to visit the district which they never did, he added.

“We also want to request the State Congress President and Lahaul and Spiti District Congress Committee president to facilitate joining more people to join the party so that we can unitedly fight against Ravi Thakur so that he is defeated,” he said.