Shimla: BJP has finalised its candidates for all four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal Pradesh, dropping sitting MP and senior leader Shanta Kumar in Kangra and fielding Anurag Thakur for a fourth time from Hamirpur, according to a source in the party.It has relied on the sitting MP in Mandi, but changed the candidate from Shimla (SC), said the source. Ram Swaroop Sharma is the parliamentarian from Mandi. The party’s central parliamentary board was yet to officially make an announcement when this report was filed, and one was expected by Saturday night.In Shimla (SC), the party is expected to field Suresh Kashyap, MLA from Pachhad assembly constituency. State food and civil supplies minister Kishan Kapoor, who belongs to the Gaddi community, has been fielded from Kangra. Shanta had on Friday refused to contest Lok Sabha elections this time.The party is expected to go ahead with Sharma in Mandi despite a section of BJP opposing his candidature.At the time of selection, internal reports of party, surveys done by central leadership were taken into account, said the source.LIKELY CANDIDATESMandi | In 2014 parliamentary elections, Ram Swaroop Sharma had sprung a surprise by defeating Congress’s Pratibha Singh, wife of then chief minister Virbhadra Singh. A first-tiem MP, Sharma’s win was attributed to Modi’s popularity in the polls. A source said he managed to get the ticket due to his proximity to chief minister Jai Ram Thakur.Hamirpur | Anurag Thakur is a three-time MP from the seat. He won the first time from here during the byelection in 2008, and then in 2009 and 2014. Thakur has been the national president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha BJYM and is the chief whip of BJP in Lok Sabha. In 2016-17, he served as president of BCCI.Kangra | Kishan Kapoor is a five-time MLA from Dharamshala, having been elected in 1990, 1993, 1998, 2007 and 2017. He is a serving minister in the BJP state government and an has old association with Jan Sangh and RSS. He is also known for his proximity to former chief minister Shanta Kumar, the outgoing MP from Kangra. He will be contesting parliamentary election for the first time.Shimla (SC) | BJP has denied the ticket to two-time MP Virender Kashyap, who won from here in 2009 and 2014. Party has decided to field Suresh Kashyap, who started his political career in 2005 by contesting the block development council election. In 2012 and 2017 assembly polls, he beat Congress’s G R Musafir. This will be his first Lok Sabha election.

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