BJP Faces Heat in Basantpur-Khatnol Zila Parishad Seat as Environment, Criminal-Link Allegations Rock Campaign
SUNNI/BASANTPUR/HIMRI (Shimla): The election battle in the Basantpur-Khatnol-Sunni Zila Parishad segment of Shimla Rural has turned into a political storm for the BJP, with the party facing mounting backlash over the selection of its candidate Shivani Thakur urf Prabha amid allegations linked to environmental issues and controversial criminal references surrounding one of her sibling who roams in Range Rover.
The constituency, which falls under the Shimla Rural Assembly segment currently represented by Vikramaditya Singh and earlier represented by his father former Chief Minister late Virbhadra Singh, has suddenly emerged as one of the most closely watched Zila Parishad contests in the district ahead of polling scheduled on May 26.
Local residents, environmental activists and members associated with the PSPK (Pahari Samaj Paryavaran Kalyan), which is run by a renowned Army veteran, campaign have openly questioned the BJP’s decision to field Shivani Thakur, alleging that the party ignored both ecological concerns linked to the controversial Himri-Nallah road project and the “tainted background” allegations surrounding her sibling.
PSPK, which has been impleaded as a party in the Himri road case pending before the Himachal Pradesh High Court, has been strongly batting for saving the lush green Himri forests and has sought scrapping of the proposed Himri road project, alleging it could trigger large-scale destruction of trees and ecological damage in the fragile hill region.
At the centre of the controversy is a representation submitted before the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), constituted by the Supreme Court, in connection with the Himri-Nallah road project.
The petition named Shivani Thakur, her other supporters had opposed objections to the road project, which environmental groups claim could lead to large-scale felling of trees and ecological destruction in the area.
Activists allege that the issue is no longer just political, but a larger battle over environmental protection in the Shimla hills.
Adding fuel to the row are references to Delhi court proceedings involving Shivani Thakur’s sibling, Ishwar Chander alias Bunty, whose name figured in a 2020 Rohini Court order connected to an FIR registered at North Rohini police station.
Court records referred to allegations linked to fake call centre operations, cheating rackets and a suspicious death case that was later transferred to the Crime Branch for investigation.
The order had reportedly observed that circumstances surrounding the death raised questions over whether it was a suicide or possible murder, while investigators alleged that fake call centres were being operated to cheat people.
Bunti was declared proclaimed offender by the Delhi high court, revealed the judicial order cited by the environmental activists.
Though the accused later joined investigation proceedings and legal proceedings remain pending, opposition voices and local groups claim the BJP candidate has failed to adequately clear the air before voters over the controversy.
The BJP and Shivani Thakur, however, are telling voters that she had worked for the area during her earlier tenure as BDC member and would deliver more development than her rivals if elected. Party supporters insist the allegations are politically motivated and aimed at damaging the BJP in a sensitive rural constituency.
But on the ground, resentment within sections of the BJP itself appears to be growing.
Several local BJP supporters are reportedly upset over denial of ticket to independent candidate Meena Verma, who was considered a strong aspirant for the BJP nomination and is widely perceived locally as having a relatively clean image. Party insiders allege the ticket was finalised under the influence of BJP organisational secretary Akshay Bharmouri.
Political observers say the damage has already been done by the alleged “Bharmouri lobby”, which ignored Meena Verma despite her clean image, triggering resentment among BJP workers and splitting the party’s support base just days before the May 26 polling.
The rebellion has complicated equations for the BJP, with many disgruntled workers said to be quietly backing Meena Verma, thereby denting the BJP’s traditional vote bank in Shimla Rural.
Observers believe this internal divide has indirectly strengthened the prospects of Congress-backed candidate Jyotika Verma , who is being projected by supporters as a comparatively cleaner alternative in the constituency.
Meanwhile, PSPK has appealed to voters across Basantpur, Sunni, Himri and adjoining areas to “defeat the designs of the criminal-forest mafia nexus” and support candidates with a clean image irrespective of political affiliation.
The organisation maintained that ecological destruction and the alleged nexus between vested interests and politically connected elements pose a serious threat to the fragile hill ecosystem and democratic values.
Residents across the constituency say the BJP, which often projects itself as a party of “clean image and moral standards”, now faces uncomfortable questions from voters over candidate selection and environmental commitments.
As campaigning intensifies, the Basantpur-Khatnol Zila Parishad contest is rapidly turning into a referendum not just on local development, but also on environmental protection, political morality and the BJP’s candidate selection process in Shimla Rural.
