On the final day of filing nominations, 43 candidates filed their papers today. As a result, as many as 59 candidates entered the poll fray, intensifying competition across wards in Mandi MC elections. However, the spotlight has shifted to internal dissent, with Congress and BJP rebels contesting as Independents after being denied ticket.
In the Khaliyar ward, the Congress faces a significant challenge with two rebels — sitting councillor Alaknanda Handa and youth leader Vivek Saini — contesting against the party’s official nominee Praveen Kumar, who is also the nephew of senior Congress leader Kaul Singh Thakur. The multi-cornered contest here is expected to split traditional vote banks.
Similarly, in Talyahar ward, the Congress is facing heat from rebel candidate Akash Sharma, who filed his nomination independently, adding to the party’s concerns. Similarly, the BJP is also facing heat from party rebel Sudesh, a sitting BJP councillor from this ward.
The BJP is grappling with a comparable situation. In the Behna ward, sitting BJP councillor has entered the contest as an Independent after being denied the party ticket. In Palace Colony-1, BJP worker Pushpa Thakur has rebelled against the party’s decision to field the wife of sitting BJP councillor.
The Bhagwan Mohalla ward has emerged as another flashpoint for the BJP, where rebels Chander Shekhar and Anil Kumar are in the fray. Both Anil Kumar, husband of sitting councillor and Deputy Mayor Madhuri Kapoor, and Chander Shekhar, a BJP worker, have filed nominations as Independents.
Political observers believe that such rebellion could dent the “winning prospects” of both national parties in key wards by splitting votes and creating triangular or multi-cornered contests.
With the nomination phase now closed, attention will turn to whether party leaderships can pacify disgruntled leaders and persuade them to withdraw their candidatures before the deadline. Failure to do so could significantly alter electoral outcomes in several wards.
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