Shimla – The political gears are in motion in Himachal Pradesh as the notification for Lok Sabha and by-elections, scheduled for June 1, was issued on Tuesday. With this announcement, the nomination process has commenced across the state, marking the start of a crucial phase in the electoral cycle.
According to the notification, nominations will be accepted until May 14, with scrutiny set for May 15 at 11:00 am. Candidates have until May 17 at 3:00 pm to withdraw their nominations. Voting will take place on June 1, from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm.
On the first day of nominations, four candidates filed nominations. Election Commission Spokesperson informed that Ramesh Chand Sarthi, filed as an independent candidate from PC Hamirpur; Anil Kumar of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) filed a nomination from Shimla PC; Mahesh Kumar Saini from the Himachal Janta Party; and Ashutosh Mahant, another independent candidate, all vying for Mandi PC. However, Kangra PC saw no nominations on the inaugural day, setting the stage for heightened anticipation in the days to come.
Similarly, no nominations were filed in the assembly by-elections, including Barsar, Sujanpur, Gagret, Kutlehar, Dharamshala, and Lahaul-Spiti.
The upcoming weeks will witness a surge in election-related activities, with the BJP and Congress gearing up to file their nominations from May 9 onwards. Notable candidates include Vikramaditya Singh and Anand Sharma filing nominations in Mandi and Kangra respectively on May 9. Satpal Raizada will file nomination on May 10 in Hamirpur, and Vinod Sultanpuri will file on May 13 in Shimla. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, and State Congress President Pratibha Singh are expected to be present in every parliamentary constituency during this period. Following the nomination process, election rallies will be held by Congress on every parliamentary seat.
On the BJP front, Rajiv Bhardwaj will file nomination in Kangra on May 10, Anurag Thakur in Hamirpur, and Suresh Kashyap in Shimla on May 13. Kangana Ranaut will submit nomination papers in Mandi on May 14. Public meetings will also be held by BJP after filing nominations, with senior BJP leaders including Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur expected to be present.
Both political parties are gearing up for election rallies to be held after nominations, aiming to demonstrate their strength. Meanwhile, candidates are busy strategizing for the assembly by-elections, with dates for filing nomination papers yet to be finalized.
