After Advani, roads closed for veteran BJP leader Shanta Kumar too, party hunts for new face in Himachal

All roads have closed for veteran BJP leader and former two-time Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Shanta Kumar with the BJP high command conveying to him that he would not be fielded as a party candidate from Kangra parliamentary constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

To avoid embarrassment, Kumar, however, took no time to announce that he was not keen in contesting election. Shanta Kumar was Union Minister of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution from 1999 to 2002 and Union Minister of Rural Development from 2002 to 2004 in Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. He was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989, 1998, 1999 and 2014. He was also a member of Rajya Sabha from Himachal Pradesh in 2008.

Shanta Kumar, who became chief minister of Himachal Pradesh in 1977 and in 1990, had enforced “No Work No Pay” policy during his second term as Chief Minister while strongly dealing with the striking government employees.

After Advani, Shanta Kumar is another senior BJP MP who has been dropped by the BJP from the list of its candidates for the 2019 general elections. L K Advani has been replaced by the BJP National President Amit Shah, as a candidate from Gandhinagar parliamentary seat in Gujarat.

Party insiders revealed that Shanta Kumar was dropped from the party’s list of candidates for certain reasons like poor performance as an MP and raising controversies in the last five years. Age factor was also a major reason for not fielding him this time.

A couple of days ago, Shanta Kumar faced heat for his remarks against the shepherd community leader. On March 16, 2019, certain local dailies quoted Shanta Kumar as saying that upcoming elections were general elections and not community-based elections. This irked the Gaddi community, which has a considerable vote bank in the constituency, and wanted the party ticket for a Gaddi leader.

Shanta’s performance as an MP also remained disappointing, a party official revealed adding that his letter, written to Amit Shah in July 2015 saying that the multi-crore Vyapam scam has dented National Democratic Alliance’s image was a major embarrassment for the BJP. Shanta Kumar had also called for setting up an ethics committee to act as a Lokpal to keep a check on party leaders.

This is not the first time Shanta Kumar have been involved in controversy due to his “bold” remarks. He was also among those who spoke against Narendra Modi after the Godhra riots in 2002.

Shanta Kumar had left the Prem Kumar Dhumal-led government in Himachal red-faced, saying that the BJP leadership in the state was living in intoxication of power and doubted whether the party could retain the power. He had also alleged that large scale corruption took place in the Dhumal regime.

In 2011, he wrote to senior BJP leaders including LK Advani and Nitin Gadkari seeking removal of Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa, who was named in the illegal mining scam.

The BJP is now looking for Shanta Kumar’s replacement from the constituency. Sources in the party disclosed that senior party leaders including Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, state party president Sat Pal Satti are holding meetings in Delhi to finalise candidates for Kangra and other three Lok Sabha seats. Names of two sitting MLAs and cabinet ministers- Kishan Kapoor and Vipin Parmr- may be considered.

The party may also consider a woman candidate - Indu Goswami, Himachal Pradesh Mahila Morcha chief, who had lost the last Assembly Election to the Congress candidate Ashish Butail from Palampur and a former Rajya Sabha member Kripal Parmar, from Kangra seat.

With Shanta Kumar out of the race, the Congress will definitely be in a wining position from Kangra seat. Though the Congress has shortlisted candidates but has not finalised the names as yet.