With top leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party expected to meet soon to decide candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, all eyes are set on Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and veteran leader Shanta Kumar, who will have a final say in choosing the “right” persons for three of total the four Parliamentary constituencies in the state.

For Hamirpur, the Parliamentary constituency won by Dhumal’s son Anurag Thakur, the Central Parliamentary Board has already cleared the sitting MP’s name.

BJP’s prime ministerial candidate L K Advani, who was in Shimla last month, is understood to have already spoke his mind about the broad parameters which the party will be following in the selection of candidates who could win the elections and help the BJP raise its tally at the national level.

Thus, both Dhumal and Shanta Kumar have a greater responsibility to ensure that the party performs outstandingly well in the polls, unlike in 2004.

Two Parliamentary constituencies, Kangra and Mandi, which the Congress had won by impressive margins, are crucial for the ruling party. So far, the party has ruled out possibilities of fielding Shanta Kumar, already elected to the Rajya Sabha, for Kangra.

He surely will have a choice in choosing his successor in the Kangra belt and whosoever gets Shanta Kumar’s blessing should be a winnable candidate.

So far, Shanta Kumar has not dropped any clear hints, but his confidants in the party identify Dr Rajeev Bhardwaj as a frontrunner.

Bhardwaj is a new face in the region, though he has been quite active in the organisation. There are also chances of a sitting minister, Krishan Kapoor, another Shanta loyalist, being tipped to fight Chander Kumar, sitting Congress MP and an OBC leader. Kapoor comes from the Gaddi community and could be the first Gaddi leader to become a BJP candidate, if so decided.

A few days ago, Shanta Kumar had snubbed the BJP’s “young brigade”, which had been justifying the need for fielding him (Shanta) against Chander Kumar.

The idea, it appears, is to grab the opportunity of getting a Rajya Sabha nomination on Shanta Kumar getting elected to the Lok Sabha.

The tussle is also intense in Mandi, where Maheshwar Singh, former state party chief, has thrown his hat in the ring, despite local BJP leaders, including Deputy Speaker Khimi Ram and former minister Kunj Lal Thakur, having openly opposed his candidature. Here, if former chief minister Virbhadra Singh decides to contest, the BJP will find the battle very tough.

The Shimla (Reserve) constituency, which has remained the Congress’ strong fortress in Himachal, is likely to give the BJP sleepless nights, both in the selection of candidate and also winning the seat against sitting MP Dhani Ram Shandil who had won the seat in 1999 but also switched loyalty to the Congress in 2004.

Former state services officer H N Kashyap is a key contender, but faces competition from a woman leader, Sheila Devi, and persistently losing candidate Virender Kashyap.