BJP rebels threaten to turn Kangana Ranaut’s political debut into flop show in Mandi
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Several leaders, many disgruntled since the 2022 Assembly elections, are irked over the candidature of the Bollywood actor and other issues
MANDI: Though the BJP has fielded Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut as its candidate from Mandi parliamentary constituency in Himachal Pradesh, the party’s rebel leaders threaten to disrupt its equations in the constituency.
With the clock ticking for the June 1 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP leadership has either displayed a lack of interest or struggled to placate dissenting voices within its ranks. Disgruntled leaders such as Ram Lal Markanda from Lahaul-Spiti, Abhishek Thakur from Sundernagar, Praveen Sharma from Mandi, Ram Singh from Kullu, Hiteshwar Singh from Banjar, Kishori Lal Sagar from Anni, Yuvraj Kapoor from Karsog and Jawahar Singh from Drang threaten to topple the political dynamics.
Paras Ram, who secured over 17,000 votes as an Independent candidate from Anni in the 2022 Assembly elections, has switched to the Congress even as the BJP grapples with challenges in the region.
In Lahaul-Spiti, Congress rebel MLA Ravi Thakur is now contesting on the BJP ticket in the byelections. There have been several instances where BJP leader and former minister Ram Lal Markanda has expressed his dissatisfaction publicly about Ravi Thakur being given the ticket. Speculations are rife that either he would be joining the Congress or might stand as an independent candidate. If this happens, it could create more difficulties directly for BJP’s Ravi Thakur as well as Kangana.
Abhishek Thakur, son of former minister Roop Singh Thakur, who previously contested as an Independent candidate and got nearly 15,000 votes, has thrown his weight behind Congress candidate Vikramaditya Singh in the Lok Sabha elections. The failure to manage internal dissent could potentially derail BJP’s prospects in the upcoming polls.
Maheshwar Singh, a prominent leader associated with Kullu, faces significant dissatisfaction among his supporters for being denied the ticket. However, his unexpected alliance with Kangana has caught everybody’s attention.
BJP leader Ram Singh, who contested as an Independent in 2022 from Kullu and got around 12,000 votes, is currently on the sidelines. Hiteshwar Singh, Maheshwar Singh’s younger son, emerged as a strong independent candidate in the previous election, securing nearly 15,000 votes from Banjar Assembly constituency.
Yuvraj Kapoor from Karsog, who was a contender for the BJP ticket from Karsog, joined the Congress in the presence of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Vikramaditya Singh in Karsog on Thursday (May 2, 2024).
Several of these disgruntled BJP leaders had held a strategy session in Pandoh a few weeks ago, underscoring the unrest within the BJP ranks. The silent stance of former MLA Jawahar Thakur from Drang could prove pivotal. The decision of Anni’s rebel and two-time BJP candidate Kishori Lal to pledge support to the Congress adds another dimension to the unfolding drama.
