Dharamshala, April 29
Dharamshala MLA Sudhir Sharma on Wednesday said more than 200 families have joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the region, alleging dissatisfaction with the state government’s policies. He made the remarks while addressing a programme in Sheela near Dharamshala, where he also criticised the Congress government and outlined the BJP’s candidate selection process.
Sharma said the BJP follows a structured system for selecting candidates, which involves consultations from the booth level up to the state leadership. He contrasted this with what he described as a centralised decision-making process in the Congress party.
He claimed that the recent influx of families into the BJP was driven by what he termed anti-people policies and unfulfilled promises by the state government. He said the political shift reflected growing public dissatisfaction in Dharamshala.
According to Sharma, Dharamshala, being the second capital of Himachal Pradesh, required leadership focused on development and civic planning. He said elected representatives should prioritise long-term urban expansion and public welfare.
He further said the BJP aims to form a municipal body in Dharamshala that works in the interest of citizens and ensures better delivery of civic services. He added that public sentiment was increasingly turning against the current government, suggesting that more political shifts could follow.
Responding to Congress’s allegations that people were being misled into joining the BJP, Sharma said such statements reflected the ruling party’s frustration. He claimed that people had already lost trust in the state government.
He also commented on the Chief Minister’s visit to Dharamshala, saying governance should focus more on ground-level work rather than temporary visits. He alleged that the present government had witnessed a decline in administrative efficiency, an unprecedented development in the state.
Sharma said the BJP leadership would soon take a decision on candidates for the upcoming Municipal Corporation elections in Dharamshala, based on internal discussions across organisational levels.
The statement comes amid rising political activity in Dharamshala ahead of local body elections, with both BJP and Congress intensifying outreach and organisational preparations in the region.
