S Gopal Puri
Shimla: Until recently, the political chatter across Himachal Pradesh was that the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government had lost public traction and that a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) comeback was all but certain in the next Assembly polls.
But political ground realities in Himachal often turn on their own axis, especially when victory starts looking too predictable. That’s when the battle usually shifts inward — from the opposition to within the party — and that battle begins over party tickets for the Assembly elections.
Over the past few weeks, early signs of unrest have begun surfacing within the BJP, particularly in Kangra, the state’s largest and most politically decisive district.
The sparks of factionalism — long simmering beneath the surface — are once again visible, as the party gears up for the 2027 Assembly elections.
Fight between Anurag and Jai Ram Thakur
Political observers note that the situation began heating up when slogans in support of Union Minister Anurag Thakur as the next Chief Minister began resonating during certain organisational events.
Almost simultaneously, a private dinner meeting hosted by Sudhir Sharma — attended by senior BJP leader and former CM Jai Ram Thakur along with several MLAs — triggered further speculation about new internal alignments taking shape within the state unit.
While party leaders downplayed the developments as “routine political interactions,” insiders admit that these are not isolated incidents.
Together, they point towards a growing restlessness within the organisation — particularly in the Kangra belt, which has historically played a pivotal role in determining who forms the government in Himachal.
Nurpur flashpoint
The latest spark came from Nurpur, where a video recently went viral showing Rajiv Bhardwaj, BJP MP from Kangra-Chamba, publicly endorsing local MLA Ranbir Nikka for a ticket in the 2027 elections.
In the clip, Bhardwaj urges voters to ensure Nikka’s victory “with an even bigger margin next time.” The message did not go unnoticed.
The statement was viewed as a direct snub to former minister Rakesh Pathania, who represented Nurpur earlier but was shifted to Fatehpur in 2022, a move that led to his defeat.
Pathania has since been working to regain his footing in Nurpur, and the MP’s remarks are seen as complicating his comeback bid.
Old fault lines, new tensions
Factional divides are not new to the BJP’s Kangra unit. The 2022 Assembly elections exposed the depth of internal rifts, especially in Dharamshala, Fatehpur and Palampur, where ticket distribution disputes led to open rebellion and several leaders contesting as independents.
The results hurt the BJP badly, and many within the party now fear a replay of that episode.
According to sources within the organisation, the Kangra BJP is currently divided along three competing axes:
- Old Guard vs. New Entrants — senior leaders seeking to retain control versus younger aspirants pushing for organisational space.
- Ticket Aspirants’ Turf War — multiple leaders lobbying for the same constituencies, well ahead of time.
- Organisational Control — district and mandal-level committee appointments increasingly viewed as pre-election positioning.
What’s different this time is the openness of the rivalry.
Party insiders acknowledge that the infighting has now spilled beyond closed-door meetings into public speeches, viral videos and social media exchanges, signalling a shift from subtle competition to open assertion.
Strategic district, delicate balance
Kangra, with 15 Assembly constituencies, has traditionally been the bellwether of Himachal politics. Any party winning a majority here often finds itself forming the government in Shimla.
That’s why factional fires in this district rarely stay local, their political heat travels all the way to Delhi.
The challenge for the BJP leadership is thus twofold: to manage growing internal ambitions while maintaining a united front ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the subsequent state election.
Many senior leaders believe that without early intervention from the central leadership, these localised power struggles could snowball into a wider organisational setback.
For now, both Jai Ram Thakur and Anurag Thakur remain careful in their public statements, projecting party unity and focusing on national campaigns.
Yet, their supporters’ visible mobilisation and selective messaging suggest that the battle for influence in Himachal’s BJP is gradually picking up pace.
Whether this is just the early noise of pre-election jostling or the start of a deeper leadership contest remains to be seen. But one thing is clear — as the Congress government battles its own challenges in Shimla, the BJP’s internal dynamics in Kangra could well decide the next political script of Himachal Pradesh.
TNR’s viewpoint
Kangra has often been called “the key to the Himachal secretariat.”
If the BJP can contain its factional tremors here, it could regain the momentum it once had. If not, history may once again repeat what 2022 already showed — that divided houses rarely win elections.
