New Delhi, March 27 -- Even as the BJP has fielded Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut from the Mandi parliamentary constituency, hoping a major turnaround in its favour but voices of dissent against her candidature have started worrying the party leadership, within three days of the announcement.
On Tuesday, former Chief Minister Jairam Thakur reached out to BJP senior and former MP Maheshwar Singh at Kullu following reports about his opposition to Kangana's name.
Singh, who had withdrawn from the state assembly contest from Kullu at the instance of the state BJP leadership, and also after party national president J P Nada's advice, says the decision of the party to field film star -who is not even a primary member of the party, has upset the party's established leaders.
"As a girl from Himachal Pradesh's remote village who rose to make her mark in Bollywood braving all challenges, is creditable. There is no dispute on this appointment and we also condemn the negative/ indecent comments being made against her on social media. But, on the party's decision to give her ticket, the feedback is not positive" he told media persons at Kullu, yet adding that he has made his point of view clear to the party.
According to the information, former Chief Minister Jairam Thakur had a long discussion with Maheshwar Singh to make him know why the party decided in her favour and thus there should not be any displeasure.
Thakur also assured him to further discuss the issue of his displeasure with the BJP high command, reports say
The former MP said that now BJP has become a very big party and decisions are taken only by big leaders. However, earlier it was said that a survey was being conducted by the party and the leader whose name would emerge through the survey would be given a Lok Sabha ticket.
"The party should consider whether the person being given the ticket is a primary member of the party or not. Also, what the party had promised to him. That too should be done as soon as possible" he asked.
Equally strong resentment is brewing in the BJP over grant of party tickets to all six congress rebels-who had now been inducted in the BJP after they quit the congress following their disqualification by the Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania on February 29
The byelection to six assembly constituencies is slated to be held on June 1 simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls.
The BJP had announced ticket for Sudhir Sharma (Dharamsala), Rajinder Rana (Sujanpur), Ravi Thakur (Lahaul-Spiti), Inder Dutt Lakhanpal (Barsar), Chaitnaya Sharma (Gagret) and Davinder Bhutto (Kutlehar) .
On Tuesday, the block BJP unit of Lahaul and Spiti resigned en-mass and announced support to Dr Ram Lal Markanda.
Former two-time minister Markanda had also announced his resignation and made his plans clear to contest the poll on the congress ticket.The party is also fearing a similar action from former minister Virender Kanwar (Kutlehar) where the disqualified MLA Davinder Bhutto-a first-time Congress MLA, has been given ticket. Already a senior BJP leader Rakesh Kalia, a three-time MLA has resigned following the grant of ticket to Chaitanya Sharma in Gagret. Wednesday Rakesh Chaudhary, who had contested the election against Sudhir Sharma in Dharamshala also quit the party.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.