Himachal Pradesh assembly elections 2017 - Star candidate - Prem Kumar Dhumal

SUJANPUR: With Bharatiya Janata Party's chief ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal contesting from Sujanpur, political temperatures are soaring in the constituency. The BJP CM candidate is pitted in the seat against his protege Rajender Rana of the Congress. 

As a part of BJP President Amit Shah's strategy, Dhumal is being made to contest from Sujanpur. Dhumal previously contested the 2012 Assembly polls from Hamirpur and the three elections prior to that from Bamson constituency in Hamirpur district. Sujanpur's MLA Narendra Thakur has been moved to Dhumals' pocketborough Hamirpur.

Congress candidate Rana has a foothold in the area due to his personal touch with the voters despite he not been an MLA since 2014. 

Dhumal has promised voters to open a CM camp office in Sujanpur as well as a medical college in the constituency. His sons Anurag Thakur and Arun Dhumal are working hard to ensure Dhumal's win and are camping in the area.

Meanwhile, Rana is dependent on his personal contacts and the work he has done. It is likely that if Congress wins, Rana might take oath as the Deputy Chief Minister. 

As per the 2011 census, of the total 82,162 population of Sujanpur, 90.33 per cent are rural and 9.67 per cent are urban residents. Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes account for 24.17 and 0.19 per cent respectively of the population. There are 67,065 electors in the constituency.

Located in Hamirpur district, Sujanpur constituency comes under the Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituency.

The November 9 poll will decide whether the people of Sujanpur want a Chief Minister or a locally popular leader as their representative.