Five AAP candidates with the best chance in Himachal

Nevertheless, here are five candidates who can spoil the prospect of either frontrunner.

Former BJP MP Rajan Sushant, from Fatehpur

The once-firebrand former MP Rajan Sushant is contesting from the Fatehpur seat in Kangra district, from where he had last contested in the 2021 bypoll as an Independent, receiving 12,927 votes while coming third, behind the BJP’s Baldev Thakur, who garnered 18,660, and the winner Bhawani Singh Pathania, who got 24,499 votes. In the 2017 Assembly polls, he contested as an Independent and got 6,205 votes.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Rajan Sushant was the state-level face and state convener of the still nascent AAP, but failed to make an impact due to the infighting, getting 24,430 votes. He later left AAP, and rejoined only two months before these polls, getting the AAP ticket again.

This has resulted in a four-cornered fight in Fatehpur, including BJP Forest Minister Rakesh Pathania, who is the sitting MLA from Nurpur, BJP rebel and former MP Kripal Parmar who is contesting as an Independent, and sitting Congress MLA Bhawani Singh Pathania, who won the 2021 by-election after his father Sujan Singh Pathania, who won the seat in 2017, died.

Rajan Sushant remained active after the bypoll loss, and supported the demand for return to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). He is considered to be the only AAP candidate who could win.

Manish Thakur, former Youth Congress president, from Paonta Sahib

In Paonta Sahib constituency of Sirmaur district, where four BJP rebels have put the BJP candidate and incumbent MLA and Power Minister Sukh Ram Chaudhary in a spot of bother, Manish Thakur will carry the AAP flag. He is also pitted against Congress candidate Kirnesh Jung, who has lost this seat twice. Thakur, a first-timer, says people are against the sitting minister as well as the Congress candidate.

The former Youth Congress president also highlights that though Paonta Sahib is surrounded by rivers on all sides, it has been facing a water crisis for a long time. He also talks about the constituency regularly facing power cuts, ever since Chaudhary became the Power Minister in the Jai Ram Thakur Cabinet, adding that people want a new face this time and he is getting a good response from them. He claims he has been working here for the past 12 years, when he was in the NSUI and Youth Congress. He replaced Vikramaditya Singh in 2018 as the YC president, while Singh was elected to the Himachal Assembly in December 2017.

Manish Thakur, a first-timer, says people are against the sitting minister as well as the Congress candidate.

Harmel Dhiman, former BJP SC Morcha president, from Kasauli (SC)

In a triangular contest for the Kasauli (SC) seat in Solan district, Harmel Dhiman is contesting on the AAP ticket, in a fight against Health and Family Welfare Minister Rajiv Saijal and Congress candidate Vinod Sultanpuri, the son of seven-time MP K D Sultanpuri. Dhiman is eyeing BJP and Congress cadre who are reportedly angry with both Saijal and Sultanpuri.

Dhiman was with the BJP for many years, so he is claiming the support of many BJP workers and office-bearers. He says that in Kasauli constituency, even while there was no development in the last five years, the Congress candidate remained silent, only appearing during election time.

Harmel Dhiman was with the BJP for many years, so he is claiming the support of many BJP workers and office-bearers.

Dharam Pal Chauhan, former Congress zila parishad chairman, from Solan

Nalagarh has three candidates with Congress background in the fray, who are all pitted against the BJP rebel K.L. Thakur.

AAP candidate Dharam Pal Chauhan, former chairman of the Solan zila parishad, is in a tough contest. The Congress has fielded Hardeep Singh Bawa, a staunch loyalist of former CM Virbhadra Singh, while the BJP ticket has gone to Congress rebel and incumbent MLA Lakhwinder Rana. In an interesting fight, BJP supporters appear to be siding with the BJP rebel K L Thakur, who is contesting as an Independent. Most of the block Congress office-bearers and supporters are working for the BJP’s Rana, while Congress candidate Bawa has the backing of his own supporters, as well as the anti-Rana supporters in the Congress.

Dharam Pal Chauhan is eyeing angry voters of both camps. He also has his own votebank, as he won the zila parishad elections as a Congress-backed candidate in 2015 from the Kheda ward to become the chairman of the Solan zila parishad. He, though, claims that Bawa is an outsider, while the BJP is divided in six groups with no one supporting Rana. “The fight is between me and Thakur,” he claimed.

AAP candidate Dharam Pal Chauhan, former chairman of the Solan zila parishad, is in a tough contest.

Jabna Kumari from Nachan (SC)

Once a youth icon of Himachal Pradesh as its youngest panchayat sarpanch, Jabna Chauhan is contesting from Nachan in Mandi district. From a humble family background, Jabna is also eyeing angry voters from both the BJP and the Congress. She expects women voters to go with her, as she had banned liquor in her panchayat. She could end up getting a sizable number of votes, despite facing a resource crunch. She says women of the area are with her, as the sitting MLA has done nothing since contesting the last election on the promise that he would open a college in the area. There is infighting in the Congress as well.

From a humble family background, Jabna Kumari is also eyeing angry voters from both the BJP and the Congress.