Kamal Kanta Batra, mother of Kargil war hero
Himachal Pradesh has only four Lok Sabha seats, but the battle for these will be followed keenly, not least after the controversy over Narendra Modi's use of the phrase "yeh dil maange more" and reference to Kargil martyr Captain Vikram Batra while campaigning in the hill state.
('Yeh Dil Maange More': Sonia Gandhi vs Narendra Modi Over Martyr's Words)Captain Batra's mother Kamal Kant Batra is contesting from Hamirpur as an Aam Aadmi Party candidate, where she takes on the BJP's Anurag Thakur. The Congress withdrew its candidate here after the controversy - Mrs Batra had challenged the BJP to withdraw Mr Thakur's candidacy. "Mr Modi, if you really care for the army and respect martyrs, a soldier's family for you should be like God. If I were in your place, I would have withdrawn the BJP candidate who is running against me," she had said in an open letter. (
Open letter to Narendra Modi from Captain Vikram Batra's mother)In Kangra, 79-year-old former Union Minister and former chief minister of the state,
Shanta Kumar is fighting Rajan Sushant, a BJP rebel who has now joined Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party. Mr Sushant had won in 2009 as the BJP candidate, but was expelled from the party later. (
Elections 2014: Complete Coverage)
Himachal, with nearly 48,10,071 voters, including 84,461 first-timers, has traditionally seen direct contests between the Congress and the BJP.
The Aam Aadmi Party and the BSP have fielded candidates in all the four seats, while the CPI-M is contesting only two seats.
Voting for Sujanpur assembly by-poll will also be held today.