Himachal: Denied ticket for Dehra bypoll, Congress leader hints at contesting as independent

Dharamsala (HP), Jun 19 (PTI) Denied the ticket by the Congress for Dehra assembly bypoll, party leader Rajesh Sharma on Wednesday hinted that he would contest the seat as an independent.

The development comes a day after the Congress declared Kamlesh Thakur, wife of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, as its candidate from the Dehra constituency.

On Wednesday, Sharma, who had unsuccessfully contested the 2022 assembly polls on a Congress ticket from Dehra, convened a meeting of his supporters to discuss his strategy.

Addressing his supporters, Sharma emphasized his commitment to the people of Dehra, stating, "I do not crave for the chair, but I cannot betray the people of Dehra." At the meeting, the Congress leader became emotional and expressed his disappointment and frustration. Suddenly his health deteriorated and he was admitted to the Civil Hospital Dehra, where a team of doctors is monitoring his condition.

The decision to nominate Kamlesh Thakur has stirred controversy within the Congress, and the party may face problems if Sharma contests as an independent from Dehra.

The bypoll to Dehra assembly seat will be held on July 10.

Meanwhile, state BJP chief Rajiv Bindal took a dig at the chief minister and said that now the Sukhu government has become "pati patni ki sarkar".

State BJP general secretary Bihari Lal Sharma accused the CM of telling lies, saying that Sukhu had earlier said he does not want the ticket but now his wife is contesting from Dehra.

"Whatever the CM says, he never does it, and he does what he never says," he said in a statement. PTI COR BPL KVK KVK