Himachal Pradesh's Palampur is set to see an interesting battle in the Assembly election scheduled for November 9, when two new faces from the ruling Congress party and the opposition BJP will fight a former MLA.
In Himachal Pradesh's Palampur constituency, a former MLA is taking on a poll battle against two debut entrants from BJP and Congress, spicing up this year's assembly elections.
The state president of BJP's Mahila Morcha, Indu Goswami is pitted against Congress' Ashish Butail, the son of outgoing Speaker and current MLA from Palampur, Brij Behari Lal Butail. The debutants face challenge from former BJP legislator Praveen Sharma, who joined the electoral battle as an Independent candidate after he was refused ticket by the BJP.
"The people of Palampur have asked me to stay in the poll. The top leadership of the BJP offered me chairmanship of boards and corporations, but I refused as I wanted to serve the people than to sit in a room," he said.
Ms Goswami claims to have lobbied for 10 assembly seats for women in the assembly elections. "I am grateful to the national leadership that it has given six assembly seats to women," she said.
Thirty nine-year-old Ashish Butail, from the politically-established Butail family, has been given the responsibility of carrying the legacy. His father is a respected leader who won the Palampur assembly seat five times out of the 11 elections held after the inclusion of the Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh from Punjab in 1966. However, encouraging dynastic politics in Congress has not gone down well with the party workers.
"My father, Brij Behari Lal, has served the people of the area for 50 years. He has a clean image. During the past five years, crores of rupees have been spent here on development-related work by him," Ashish Butail said.
Brij Behari Lal Butail was also the richest MLA in the 2012 elections in the state. He owned properties worth Rs 150 crore, besides other movable assets.
The polling in the state would be held on November 9 and the counting of votes would be taken up on December 18.
(With Inputs From PTI)
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