Dynasty is alive and kicking in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh. Sons and grandsons of political veterans from the state, from both BJP and Congress, are eyeing nomination of their respective parties for the Lok Sabha polls.
Former Union Minister Sukhram's grandson Aashray Sharma is eyeing a BJP ticket ticket for Mandi Lok Sabha seat with Himachal's former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh's son Vikramaditya Singh hoping to get that of Congress for the 2019 polls.
Neither the ruling BJP nor the Congress, however, has yet finalised their candidates for any of the four Himachal Lok Sabha seats seats - Shimla, Mandi, Hamirpur and Kangra.
In a recent Facebook post, Shimla Rural MLA and a scion of erstwhile princely state Bushahar, Vikramaditya Singh, said, "I have not applied for ticket from Mandi seat as my father has taught me to control my ambitions."
"If the Congress leadership gives me this responsibility, I am ready for that as my father has also taught me to fight for the party and the country in every situation," he added.
The five-member committee of Congress for selection of the candidates in the state is headed by AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal. The panel is to meet soon to shortlist candidates for the central election committee (CEC) to take a decision. Former Union Telecom Minister in PV Narasimha Rao-led Congress government, Sukhram's grandson Aashray Sharma has not only expressed his willingness to contest from Mandi but has even begun electioneering here.
BJP's Himachal unit president Satpal Singh, however, said, "Sharma is not even a primary member of the party. What we have to say, we will say when we will be called at Delhi (by senior BJP leaders for parliamentary board meeting)."
Responding to Singh's statement, Aashray retorted, "If I am not member of the BJP, my father Anil Sharma (who is a minister in Jai Ram Thakur-led BJP government in Himachal) Pradesh too is not a BJP member."
"I along with my father met (BJP president) Amit Shah in Delhi in October before the Himachal assembly elections in 2017 and joined the BJP," he added.
"It was for the first time in the Himachal politics that the BJP performed so well in Mandi in last assembly election after our family, having its hold in this region, joined the BJP just 21 days before the state polls," he claimed. Sharma expressed optimism that he would get a BJP ticket from Mandi.
"The party will surely honour his family, which helped the BJP's perform better in Mandi district. I'm fully optimistic about the party allocating me a ticket for the Mandi Lok Sabha seat," he said.
"Moreover, I am campaigning on directions of (senior party leaders from) Delhi. Nowadays the winnability is the sole criteria all parties in selecting candidates. All surveys too have also gone in my favour," he claimed.
BJP is apparently in favour of reallocating the seat to its sitting MP Ram Swaroop Sharma, who had won the seat by a margin of nearly 40,000 votes.
had secured 3,62,824 votes in 2014, defeating Congress candidate Virbhadra Singh's wife Pratibha Singh, who had got 3,22,968 votes.
Sukhram, 91, has represented Mandi in Lok Sabha thrice in 1984, 1991 and 1996, Virbhadra Singh thrice in 1971, 1980, 2009 and his wife twice in 2004 and 2013.
