Tears and emotions don’t work in politics. And yet, they can often become powerful tools in the hands of politicians vying to outmaneuver each other in an election, especially in a close-knit state like Himachal Pradesh where the margin between a victory and defeat often boils down to just a few numbers.
This is perhaps the challenge that the BJP is facing in Himachal Pradesh, where its attempts to break the traditional status quo of the Congress and BJP alternating in power every five years, have become mired in rebellions over denials of poll tickets.
Eyeing a second consecutive term in the state, the party's new motto, “Naya Riwaaz Baneyenge” (we will create a new custom) clearly reflects the emphasis on breaking what many here call the "jinx of the incumbent party".
But first, it needs to deal with the rebellions brewing within.
Right now, for instance, BJP National President J P Nadda is camping in his home district to quell the a rebellion against the denial of tickets to sitting MLA , 11 in total. There has also been discontent over the shifting of a cabinet minister and two others to new constituencies to give chance to new faces. The leaders and aspirants denied tickets broke down in emotional tears, almost publically and in presence of their supporters.
Two days back, Nadda hosted a community lunch for over 3,000 party workers and leaders at his home where he sent a sharp message across the cadres that the party was sticking to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a “double-engine” government as the best option for the state.
“Everyone has to fall in line and support the person allotted the party symbol— the Lotus. All old traditions are breaking-up. The BJP has proved it in UP, Uttarakhand, Manipur, and Goa. Now is Himachal, the PM’s second home, the BJP is inching to close to power once again” Nadda underlined.
A day before the lunch, Suresh Thakur, sitting MLA from Bilaspur—the hometown of Nadda, and his assembly constituency, was seen crying like a child over the denial of a ticket. Thakur, who is said to be a close confidante of Nadda’s lost the ticket to his protégé, Trilok Jamwal, the CM’s political advisor.
This is perhaps what made Nadda fly to Bilaspur and camp at his village --Vijaypur in a bid to persuade rebelling leaders to withdraw from the contest.
Like Nadda, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur also flew to Kullu on Friday to handle another rebellion at Banjar where Maheshwar Singh, the son of a senior BJP leader, has revolted and declared himself a candidate of the constituency. The party has already lost Khimi Ram Sharma from Banjar, a former BJP state president, who joined the Congress to contest the seat. Sharma, a Brahmin face who has also served as deputy Speaker and cabinet minister under Prem Kumar Dhumal, knew beforehand that he would not get the ticket.
Maheshwar Singh, who had quit the BJP in 2012 and floated his own political outfit, has managed the ticket from Kullu this time, jeopardising the chances of Ram Singh, a BJP vice-president, who remained a candidate in two earlier elections. Ram Singh seems to have been quietened for the time being by the Chief Minister.
The worst of the rebellions, however, is brewing in Mandi— the CM’s home district, which has become a hot spot for the battle over the tickets. At least four sitting MLAs have been refused tickets here while a Congress hopper Anil Sharma, son of former Telecom Minister, has made a surprise comeback to the BJP after he was given a cold shoulder by the Congress.
Praveen Sharma, a young BJP leader and former media in charge of the party, burst into tears as he went to file his nomination papers as an independent.
“What is my future in Mandi? This is all that a gross-root party worker gets at the end of the day when you (BJP) handpick a party hopper - a turncoat, who has been firing Chief Minister all left-right during these months” he alleges.
The daughter of seniormost cabinet minister Mohinder Singh has rebelled against the father and resigned from the party positions in the Mahila wing of the BJP after her son Rajat Thakur got the ticket.
Another rebel in Mandi, Abhishek Thakur, son of BJP stalwart of ‘Jan-sangh’ days Roop Singh Thakur, has also decided to go ahead with filing his nominations. Two other sitting MLAs—Kishori Lal (Ani) and Hira Lal (Karsog) are threatening to queer the BJP pitch in Mandi.
The party, which has already suffered a blow in the Mandi Lok Sabha bypoll in 2021 when Pratibha Singh, Virbhadra Singh’s wife, got elected to the Parliament, is finding itself in a catch-22 situation.
In 2017, the BJP had won nine out of 10 seats favouring Jai Ram Thakur’s chances for the Chief Ministerial position. This time, Thakur has to prove himself in a test of his popularity as the Congress is hoping to do well on the anti-incumbency vibe.
Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur also could not control his tears at the mention of former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and his "missed" role in the forthcoming assembly elections. "Ever since Dhumal ji lost the 2017 election (and as a consequence missed the Chief Ministerial position) he did not sit back or rest at home and had been continuously on the move to strengthen the party," Thakur maintained.
In the politically sensitive Kangra district, which has 15 assembly seats, the BJP platter is full of troubles from Fatehpur –a seat which the congress had won in the 2021 bypoll.
The party has uprooted sitting minister Rakesh Pathania from Nurpur, a constituency where it has fielded a new face Ranveer Nikka to avoid a revolt. Pathania is fielded from Fatehpur where former Rajya Sabha member Kripal Parmar has been reviewing his chances. Parmar had contested the 2017 election but was denied a ticket in the 2021 bypoll. This time, he has been ignored once again. Parmar is furious over the decision and threatens to expose the party and the dual face of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.
“I am not going to spare anyone. They can’t keep my mouth shut. The bad phase has begun for the Chief Minister and his coterie. His fortunes are sinking” he declared.
The elections in the state are slated for November 12 and with just a day left for the filing of nominations, the BJP ‘s time for hard bargains with the rebels seems to be running out.
State BJP president Suresh Kashyap says most of the rebels have been reached out to and that attempts to reconcile them with the party's vision are on. "Things will be fine in the next two or three days. The BJP will form the next government. Riwaaz jaroor badlega (custom will change ) due to the leadership of Modi ji and Jai Ram Thakur ".
