Saffron political groups are speculating the re-emergence of former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal from Kangra bye poll seat. Reportedly there are leaders from Kangra who are voicing for former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal to contest the seat. Mandal President of Nagrota Bagwan has openly said that Dhumal should be given the BJP ticket from Dharamshala and this was seconded by the leaders of Jawalamukhi also. As per insiders even His Holiness the Dalai Lama met the former Chief Minister at Hamirpur and urged to contest from Dharamshala.
Currently, name of Dr. Rajiv Bhardwaj is doing the rounds for the Dharamshala bye poll as front runner for BJP ticket. Dr Bhardwaj is presently nominated as director of the Kangra Central Co-operative bank by state government and is also the chairman of the bank. Bhardwaj has been active in politics and is considered a close confident of BJP veteran Shanta Kumar. But it is time tested (previous Vidhan Sabha election Shanta Kumar was adamant for the Vidhan Sabha ticket to be given to Praveen Sharma but high command denied and gave the ticket to Indu Goswami from Dhumal group) that possibility is Shanta’s strong backing for Bhardwaj may not work. In case the BJP high command do not consider Shanta Kumar proposal then leaders from Kangra are already voicing for former Chief Minster Prem Kumar Dhumal. Party sources further state that recently Prem Kumar Dhumal met Prime Minister Modi and this was seen as signal that the high command might consider.
In the recent times Kangra BJP has been in news for wrong reasons. Its women president Indu Goswami resigned from her post and senior leader Ramesh Dhwala is loggerheads with the BJP state organisation Secretary Pawan Rana as both belong to Jawalamukhi and Sarveen Chaudhary, Urban Development Minister from Shahpur is unhappy with Chief Minister as IP&H Minister is interfering in her department. Kangra is important district with fifteen Vidhan Sabha seats including Dharamshala and plays a significant role in the state. Speculation beside but amidst the ongoing in fight, when behind Shanta, no top leader is on board, could Dhumal re-emerge as one, will yet have to be seen.
