Politics, social service Bilaspur Sadar MLA’s driving force

Dinesh Kanwar 

Having risen from student politics, Subhash Thakur, first-time BJP legislator from the Bilaspur Sadar constituency of Bilaspur district, is keen that the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is established at the earliest.

Son of Thakur Sada Ram, he was born on January 18, 1960, in Bilaspur.        

Subhash won the first election to the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha in December 2017. He won by a margin of over 6,862 votes against the Congress candidate and the sitting MLA, Bambar Thakur. Active in politics since his college days, he also won the election to the Zila Parishad in 2000. 

An active social worker, he took keen interest in student politics and was elected district president of the ABVP in 1981. He remained joint secretary of the state unit of the ABVP, the BJP’s student organisation. He also remained the president of the Himachal Pradesh Kisan Morcha in 2003. 

He did his post-graduation from Himachal Pradesh University. His wife is a government teacher and he has two children, a son and a daughter.  Politics and social service are his passions while he runs a transport business for his living. 

He starts his day at 7 am and when the people of the area start visiting him to get their works done. The MLA said he was into politics since his college days and he took easily to active politics because he enjoyed being social and helped people even when he was not an MLA. 

“Apart from health, education, roads and sufficient supply of potable drinking water are my priorities,” he emphasises. He said the biggest issue confronting his constituents was the delay in the redress of grievances of Bhakhra Dam oustees. He said starting classes of hydro engineering college at Bilaspur was also a major work in the constituency. In the absence of a minister from the district, the Chief Minister took care of the issues facing the district himself.

“With the opening of AIIMS in the district, people will get the best health facilities here,” said the MLA. He said he would try to meet the expectations of his electorates. Speaking about the performance of the state government in the past almost five months, Subhash said the CM had the vision for developing the state. The previous government had ignored his constituency, but now many development works had been started. Union Minister JP Nadda had furthered the growth of the constituency and it was due to his efforts that AIIMS would be established in the district soon, he added.