Himachal Pradesh elections 2022: BJP releases list of 62 candidates

SHIMLA: BJP has released the first list of 62 candidates for the coming assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh.
The names were finalised after hours of discussion in the central parliamentary board meeting headed by national president JP Nadda and attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, union home minister Amit Shah and others.
The first of 62 features only 5 women candidates.
Among the prominent candidates, incumbent chief minister Jai Ram Thakur will contest from Seraj.
On many seats the party has denied tickets to sitting MLAs in favour of new faces. The age criteria has also been followed strictly by the party due to which many senior leaders including former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal are not contesting this time.

BJP had been strict on the issue of “parivarvaad” so far but now has given ticket to Rajat Thakur, the son of sitting minister Mahender Singh Thakur, from Dharampur seat of Mandi district. Since 1989, Mahender Singh Thakur was contesting from this seat. In Mandi (Sadar) seat, BJP has given a ticket to sitting MLA Anil Sharma, son of former union minister Sukh Ram.
In Hamirpur district, from Bhoranj (SC) seat, party has fielded Anil Dhiman who is former MLA and son of former minister late I D Dhiman; from Hamirpur seat party has again fielded sitting MLA Narender Thakur, son of former minister late Jagdev Chand Thakur.

From Manali seat of Kullu district, BJP has once again relied on sitting MLA and minister Govind Singh Thakur, who is son of former minister late Kunj Lal Thakur. From Jubbal-Kotkhai, party this time has fielded Chetan Bragta, son of former minister late Narender Bragta. In the by-elections held last year, BJP had denied ticket to him on the issue of “parivarvaad” and Bragta had contested as independent candidate to remain on second position while BJP candidate Neelam Saraik faced crushing defeat and lost her deposit.
BJP has also changed the seats of many of its sitting MLAs and ministers. Forest minister Rakesh Pathania whose traditional seat was Nurpur in Kangra district now will contest from Fatehpur in Kangra district. Urban Development Minister Suresh Bhardwaj who had contested from Shimla (Urban) seat in 2017, has been shifted to Kasumpti seat of Shimla district.
In Dharamshala seat, party has denied ticket to sitting MLA Vishal Nehria and has fielded Rakesh Chaudhary, who had contested the 2019 by-election from the same seat.
In the 2019 by-election, BJP had to fight against its own rebel Chaudhary who had secured 31.64% votes against BJP’s 44.41% votes. BJP's Nehria secured 44.41 per cent votes.
In Darang assembly seat of Mandi district, BJP has denied ticket to sitting MLA Jawahar Thakur and in his place fielded Puran Chand Thakur and similarly in Bharmaur (ST) seat of Chamba district denying ticket to sitting MLA Jiya Lal Kapoor BJP has pitted neurosurgeon Dr Janakraj Pakhretia this time.
In Sarkaghat on age criteria the sitting MLA Col Inder Singh party has fielded Dalip Thakur while from Sujanpur seat of Hamirpur district party has fielded Captain (retd) Ranjeet Singh.

The Congress on Tuesday released its first list of 46 candidates. Former state party chiefs Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and Kuldeep Singh Rathore from Nadaun and Theog, respectively.
AAP, that is looking to make inroads in the state after a successful campaign in Punjab, has released a list of four candidates so far.
For the past few elections, the state has swung alternately for the Congress and the BJP.

The Election Commission announced dates for the Himachal Pradesh elections last week. Single-phase polling is due in the state on November 12. Counting will take place on December 8.