For Kangra segment, BJP and Congress have hands full in selecting candidate

SHIMLA: Both the BJP and the Congress have their hands full when it comes to fielding their respective candidate from Kangra seat for the May 19 parliamentary polls in the state.
In the Congress, seven leaders — including former MP Chander Kumar and former minister Thakur Singh Bharmauri — have applied for the party ticket, even as the candidate is expected to be a leader who is not among the hopefuls.In BJP, there are many aspirants, but the party might field old warhorse and sitting MP Shanta Kumar (84), who has once again sought the party ticket and triggered resentment among others.
While Shanta is a prominent Brahmin face of BJP in Kangra, Congress is yet to project a leader here. Two prominent Brahmin faces of the Congress — former state ministers Sudhir Sharma and G S Bali — are battling for the party ticket this time. However, AICC secretary and Dalhousie MLA Asha Kumari is among the frontrunners for ticket from Kangra.
The Congress has been at the receiving end of factionalism in Kangra, with leaders indulging in one-upmanship. While a faction is supporting the former CM Virbhadra Singh-led camp which includes Sharma, the rival faction is supporting G S Bali. In the 2017 assembly elections, Sudhir Sharma lost from Dharamshala seat and Bali from Nagrota Bagwan seat. Their defeats were attributed to factionalism.
Congress, in the past, has never fielded a Brahmin candidate from Kangra and gone for an OBC, Rajput or other candidate. BJP, on the other hand, has batted for Brahmin candidates by fielding Shanta and Rajan Sushant.
In BJP, there are many aspirants, including BJYM state president Vishal Chauhan, former MLA Dulo Ram and Gaddi leader Trilok Kapoor. In case Shanta dies not contest, BJP could field either serving health minister Vipin Singh Parmar, a Rajput leader, or food and civil supplies minister Kishan Kapoor, who belongs to the Gaddi community.
Congress leaders are claiming that Shanta sought votes in 2014 by terming it his last election, but now he was interested to contest again.