13 candidates in fray for Himachal Pradesh assembly by-elections

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], June 26 : A total of 13 candidates are left in the fray for the by-elections to be held in Dehra, Hamirpur and Nalagarh assembly constituencies of Himachal Pradesh, according to an official of the Election Department on Wednesday.
The by-elections for Hamirpur, Nalagarh and Dehra assembly constituencies are scheduled for July 10, 2024.
"After the withdrawal of nominations, a total of 13 candidates are in the fray from Dehra, Hamirpur and Nalagarh Assembly Constituencies (AC) for the bye-elections," said the official.
In Hamirpur, independent candidate Pradeep Kumar's withdrawal has narrowed the race to three candidates. Meanwhile, Nalagarh now features five candidates following Independent candidate Gurnam Singh's withdrawal.
"In Hamirpur, after the withdrawal of nominations by independent candidate Pradeep Kumar, now three candidates are in the election fray. While in Nalagarh, independent candidate Gurnam Singh withdrew his nomination papers, and now five candidates are remaining in the fray," the officials said.
He also said that no withdrawals occurred in Dehra, maintaining a competitive field of five candidates.
Contestants include Kamlesh (53) of the Indian National Congress (INC), Hoshyar Singh (57) of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and independents Sulekha Devi (59), Arun Ankesh Syal (34), and Advocate Sanjay Sharma (56).
In Hamirpur, Ashish Sharma (37) of BJP, Dr. Pushpinder Verma (48) of INC, and Independent candidate Nand Lal Sharma (64) are set to battle for victory.
Nalagarh's assembly constituency will witness a race between Hardeep Singh Bawa (44) of INC, KL Thakur (64) of BJP, Kishori Lal Sharma (46) of Swabhiman Party, and independents Harpreet Singh (36) and Vijay Singh (36).