COURTESY HT OCT 4

High-voltage drama in Pachhad as BJP rebel sticks to her guns
u-TURN Dayal Pyari had earlier agreed to withdraw papers following her meeting with chief minister

HT Correspondents

letterschd@hindustantimes.com

Shimla/Dharamshala : High-voltage drama unfolded in Sirmour on Thursday as BJP rebel Dayal Pyari refused to withdraw her nomination despite chief minster Jai Ram Thakur’s intervention, while another rebel Ashish Sikta faced supporters ire for pulling out of the poll fray.

The chief minister on late Wednesday night separately met with the rebels behind closed doors here to placate them.

Initially, both Pyari and Sikta had agreed to withdraw papers but the former did an about-turn the next morning.

Speaking to the media, Pyari admitted that the chief minister (CM) had met with her and tried to convince her to withdraw nomination. “He (CM) told me that it would not be in the party’s interest if I contested the byelections,” she said, specifically stressing that she was not pressured by the CM at any occasion. “I had agreed to withdraw but also told the chief minister that I will contest if people of Pachhad would want me to do so,” she added.

It is learnt that the another effort was made by irrigation and public health minister Mahender Singh Thakur on Thursday to reach out Pyari, but in vain.

“Two of our activist (Pyari, Sikta) had got carried away and filed nominations after ticket was allocated to Reena Kashyap. Youth leader Ashish Sikta has withdrawn papers in the interest of the party. However, Dayal Pyari, who had earlier agreed, changed her decision which is unfortunate. Election is a battlefield where every soldier has to march along to win,” state party chief Satpal Singh Satti said.

SIKTA FACES SUPPORTERS’ IRE

Youth leader Ashish Sikta faced ire of his supporters following withdrawal of nomination.

Soon after, angry supporters started raising slogans against him outside the SDM office in Rajgarh as they accused the leader of betraying them