bjp-fields-all-six-congress-rebels-for-assembly-by-polls-in-himachal

In what can trigger a rebellion within the Himachal BJP now, the six rebel Congress MLAs who were disqualified from the HP Assembly for defying the party whip on February 29, are the BJP nominees for the Assembly by-polls. 

 

The by-polls are slated for June 1 in Himachal Pradesh, according to a list declared today.

 

Former Congress minister, Sudhir Sharma will contest from Dharamshala, Rajender Rana from Sujanpur, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal from Badsar, Chaitanya Sharma from Gagret, Devinder Bhutto from Kutlehar, Ravi Thakur from Lahaul Spiti.

 

All of them had joined BJP two days back in Delhi, along with the three Independents, who had resigned from the HP Assembly, alleging that the government was harassing them.

 

All nine members, including six Congress rebels, had been staying outside the state at the instance of the BJP since they voted for BJP nominee, Harsh Mahajan, for the Rajya Sabha poll and helped him win the election.

 

However, immediately, as the list of candidates for the Assembly by-polls was out, a former minister from Lahaul & Spiti, Ram Lal Markanday resigned from the BJP and said he could contest the election from the Congress party. 

 

Markanday had already voiced his interest in contesting the Assembly by-poll when the Election Commission of India (ECI) had declared these six constituencies vacant after the disqualification of the rebel MLAs.

 

Markanday, who had been in the Youth Congress in his University days, had been a supporter of former Union Telecom minister of Congress, the late Sukh Ram, who had floated a separate party Himachal Vikas Congress in 1998 polls.

 

In Kutlehar, former minister Virender Kanwar had also announced his keenness to contest the by-poll when Devinder Bhutto, a Congress rebel who defeated him in the 2022 Assembly election, was disqualified and his entry was considered sure in BJP.  

 

Kanwar has however not reacted on the ticket to Chaitanya Sharma so far.

 

In Gagret, however, Rakesh Kalia, who is a former Congress MLA and had joined BJP before the 2022 polls but was denied a ticket from BJP as well, has left BJP now, hoping for Congress candidature in the by-poll.

 

In Sujanpur, Rajender Rana of Congress (now rebel), who first defeated former BJP CM and party’s CM’s face in the 2017 Assembly elections, Prem Kumar Dhumal and brought a transition in leadership in BJP and then defeated another BJP candidate in 2022 elections, will now contest on BJP ticket in the by-poll, making it awkward for the BJP ranks in the area.

 

BJP insiders said the party’s preference for the Congress rebels at the cost of their leaders is not going down well with the cadres in the state and the by-polls, as all these rebels had fought on Congress ticket in the 2022 Assembly by-polls.