Fresh faces of the Congress and the BJP are clashing in Palampur, a hill station in the Kangra Valley that derives its name from water for the many mountain streams, as Himachal Pradesh goes to the polls on November 9. Giving them fight is a BJP rebel contesting as an Independent candidate.
The BJP has fielded Indu Goswami, president of the Mahila Morcha State unit, while the Congress has chosen to bet on Ashish Butail, son of the outgoing Speaker and MLA for Palampur, Brij Behari Lal Butail. The BJP rebel is Praveen Sharma, a former MLA.
Mr. Sharma could dampen the prospects of Ms. Goswami, who is seen as an outsider from the adjoining Baijnath constituency, which is reserved for a Scheduled Caste candidate. “The people of Palampur have asked me to stay in the polls. The top leadership of the BJP offered me chairmanship of boards and corporations, but I refused as I wanted to serve the people than to sit in a room,” he said.
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A veteran’s backyard
Mr. Sharma is believed to be close to the veteran BJP leader Shanta Kumar, a two-time Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister whose hometown is Palampur.
Ms. Goswami said she had lobbied for greater representation for women with her party. “Only I had requested the national leadership of BJP to give at least 10 Assembly seats to women, and I am grateful to the national leadership that it has given six,” she said.
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“I have been a dedicated worker of the BJP for three decades. I have worked in the State Women’s Commission in 1999 and then worked as president of the Mahila Morcha State unit. Now, as a BJP candidate, I shall prove my worth by bringing much-needed development to Palampur.”
Ms. Goswami is said to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with whom she worked when he was party in-charge of Himachal Pradesh. It is expected here that Mr. Modi may address a rally in Palampur.
Ashish Butail, 39, has been given the responsibility of carrying on the political legacy of his family. His father is a respected leader, but promotion of dynastic politics has not gone down well with Congress workers.
Moreover, the Congress candidate could face opposition from Gokul Butail, his cousin and IT adviser to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. Gokul Butail had applied for the ticket, but was denied.