The Assistant Returning Officer-cum-SDM, Nalagarh, on Tuesday declared invalid the nomination papers of a BJP-supported candidate contesting from the Khera ward in Nalagarh subdivision of Solan district. The candidate, Vimla Devi, originally belongs to Haryana and hails from the Gujjar community, which is classified as Other Backward Class (OBC) in the state. After marriage, she had settled in Nalagarh and filed her nomination from a seat reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST)s, prompting a rival candidate to raise objections.
The issue became contentious after a formal objection challenging her eligibility was submitted to the SDM on Tuesday.
Though the Zila Parishad elections are not being contested on party symbols, the BJP had publicly declared its supported candidates, while senior Congress leaders had also announced candidates in their areas though no official list had been released.
Nalagarh SDM Narender Ahluwalia said that Vimla’s nomination papers were rejected after examining her documents and reply.
“The nomination papers of Vimla Devi have been declared invalid on the basis of the documents submitted before me,” he added.
The SDM had granted Vimla one day to file her response after objections were raised.
After the scrutiny of her reply, her nomination was rejected.
Ahluwalia said, “As per the court orders and the norms of the State Election Commission, a woman married in Himachal Pradesh cannot claim the benefit of another caste after marriage. Only her paternal caste will be considered.”
Former BJP MLA KL Thakur, however, said that the development would not affect the party’s electoral prospects. He added that the BJP would now support the covering candidate, who is a relative of Vimla.
