Trilok Kapoor, Rahul Pathania or Sudhir Sharma? Intense lobbying underway in Delhi for BJP ticket from Kangra
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TNR Desk
With the BJP unlikely to field its sitting MP Kishan Kapoor from Kangra Lok Sabha constituency in Himachal Pradesh, intense lobbying is said to be underway in Delhi among aspirants to secure the ticket.
Sources said BJP leaders Trilok Kapoor, Rajeev Bhardwaj and Rahul Pathania, besides an IAS officer are said to be in the race for the ticket. BJP state general secretary Trilok Kapoor who had lost to Congress MLA Ashish Butail from Palampur in the recent Assembly elections was said to be the frontrunner, said sources.
In race despite loss in Assembly poll
Trilok is a seasoned politician with a political journey spanning over three decades. His emerging as the frontrunner has surprised many within the party as several senior BJP leaders had been ignored or kept as second option. The development has prompted discussions about his proximity to national party president JP Nadda.
The spotlight on his name, despite the recent electoral setback and the underperformance of the region he managed as the party in-charge, has ignited curiosity.
Bhardwaj is a senior party leader associated strongly with the organisation while Pathania is a youth leader and a zila parishad member from Nurpur.
Disqualified Congress MLA from Dharamshala Sudhir Sharma could emerge as another probable candidate, should the political situations suit him, something that would depend on the outcome of his and other five rebel MLAs petition in the Supreme Court. The disqualification case is to be heard on March 18.
Sitting MP ignored despite historic win
A former state minister, Kishan Kapoor being ignored from the list of probable candidates has raised questions about the unfolding dynamics and the party’s strategic moves in the region.
He had secured a victory by record 4,77,623 votes (about 74 per cent) in the 2019 elections, the winning margin being the second highest in the country. Kishan Kapoor had polled 7,25,218 votes while Pawan Kajal of the Congress got 2,47,595 votes.
