The caste factor, however, has taken a backseat as the BJP is riding high on a plank of nationalism and increased popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the retaliatory strikes against terrorist camps in Balakot post-Pulwama.The rivalry between Sukh Ram and Virbhadra Singh may turn out to be a dampener for Congress. While Singh has publicly declared support and made two public appearances for Aashray Sharma, he does not seem to have buried the hatchet with Sukh Ram, whom he described as “aaya ram, gaya ram” (party hopper).While Sukh Ram enjoys goodwill among the electorate for his development projects in Mandi, Virbhadra too holds considerable sway.Unfazed by the infighting though, Aashray is confident of a win.“Virbhadra ji has given me his blessings. Modi government has failed to honour even a single promise made by it for the state. My grandfather never ditched Congress. There were some issues which have been ironed out after Shri Rahul Gandhi was anointed party president,” Aashray told ET.

Source: Economic Times May 16, 2019 03:00 UTC