Rahul Gandhi, Narinder Modi lined up to hold concluding rallies
Shimla: As poll day nears, political parties jostle for space to conclude their campaign in scenic Kullu valley with congress having lined up Rahaul Gandhi and BJP matching it up with Narinder Modi for holding simultaneous rally’s on 11th May.
Kullu, a part of Mandi parliamentary segment is witnessing a keen contest between scions of two royal houses – Maheswar Singh belongs to Kullu royal family and former chief minister Virbhadra Singh is from the Bushair royal house.
Highly placed sources disclosed that BJP had been offered an alternative site to conduct the rally for which the party has started mobilising its supporters.
“The matters stands resolved as the district administration has expressed confidence of being able to maintain law and order for holding of the two rallies by the opposing parties in Kullu on the same day,†said a senior government official on conditions of anonymity.
The issue became contentious as both parties decided to hold the election at the same venue at 11 a.m.
Congress, though had booked the district sports council ground first but was late in seeking permission from the district returning officer to hold a rally.
Sources revealed that it was BJP that first obtained permission for holding a rally at the contentious venue.
For the past two days a stalemate prevailed as both parties refused to back down and M. Sudha Devi, the district magistrate of Kullu, tried to broker a deal by spacing the two rallies with a time gap of 3 hours in between.
Anil Khachi, chief election commissioner, when contacted said, “there was still time and the district returning officer was doing her best to sort out the matter.â€
The state goes to the polls in the last phase on May 13th and the contest for Mandi and Hamirpur seat is witnessing hectic electioneering.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
