Shimla: Battle lines are finally drawn for the crucial bypoll at Dehra in Kangra district, which for the first time will see Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s wife Kamlesh Thakur contesting against well-entrenched Hoshiar Singh, a two-time independent MLA now fighting the bypoll on the BJP’s ticket.
Beside Dehra, Himachal Pradesh will also witness two more bypolls at Nalagarh in Solan district and Hamirpur in the Chief Minister’s home district with BJP trying to put-up a strong fight against the ruling party, after winning all four Lok Sabha bypolls.
On Friday Kamlesh Thakur filed her nomination papers with the Chief Minister leading a massive show of strength with his deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, PCC president Pratibha Singh, cabinet ministers, and MLAs, besides party leaders.
The presence of Rajesh Sharma, who had threatened to rebel and file nomination papers since being denied ticket to favour Kamlesh Thakur by the Chief Minister, was a surprise after he had accused Sukhu of torturing him and keeping him hostage at CM’s residence.
The constituency that borders with Naudan, the Chief Minister’s stronghold, is also the native place of Kamlesh Thakur –who she planning to push her case as ‘Dehra ki beti’ while Sukhu publically declares his credentials as obedient “damaad” ( son-in-Law) of Dehra.
Addressing a huge public meeting, the Chief Minister said that by-elections of three Assemblies are going to prove that people don’t want those who sold their conscience and soul for the cash and switched side to the BJP.
“The public should ask the former MLA Hoshiar Singh under whose pressure he had resigned and imposed the by-election on Dehra. It was surely the BJP game plan to topple a duly elected government in the state” he said
Here, Sukhu also listed out works he had done at Dehra which include a proposed Zoological Park worth Rs 680 crore in Bankhandi, Dehra.
He asked former Chief Minister Jairam Thakur to stop dreaming of forming the government asserting that the Congress has a strength of 38 MLAs in the House.
Rather Jairam Thakur ji should worry about the fate of nine BJP MLAs who are facing disciplinary proceedings from the Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania. The case is still pending.
He rejected the BJP accusations of not paying Rs 1,500 pm to women as promised in the Congress Manifesto. He said that by organising a programme at Jwalamukhi on June 26, Rs 1,500 along with arrears will be deposited in the accounts of 10,000 women and the women of Dehra will get the money after the election code of conduct.
Sukhu said that Hoshiar Singh has bought the lotus of BJP and the purchased lotus does not bloom. Now, he will not be able to serve the people as Kamlesh Thakur will be the person turning a new leaf in the history of Dehra after 25 years.
The Chief Minister said that the work of the Central University was stalled for ten years, which he got started after becoming the Chief Minister.