MLA Bragta product of student politics

Bhanu P Lohumi

A progressive horticulturist and a product of student politics, three-time MLA Narinder Bragta has a legacy of a long-drawn struggle in electoral politics. A two-time minister in the BJP governments led by Chief Minister PK Dhumal, Bragta is credited with winning the election from Shimla Urban and challenging the mighty former Congress Chief Minister Ram Lal from Jubbal and Kotkhai.

He bust the Congress bastion in Jubbal and Kotkhai and defeated Rohit Thakur, a grandson of Thakur Ram Lal, twice in 2007 and 2017 after the demise of  Ram Lal, who won nine times from this constituency and even defeated the then sitting Chief Minister,Virbhadra Singh, in 1990 as the Janata Dal candidate. 

Bragta (66) had a mixed fortune and was elected to the state Assembly in 1998 from Shimla, re-elected from Jubbal and Kotkhai in 2007 and 2017 but lost to Ram Lal in 1993 and Rohit Thakur in 2003 and 2012. 

He remained Minister of State for Horticulture (independent charge) from 1998-02; and Horticulture, Technical Education and Health Minister from December 2007 to December, 2012 in the BJP governments. However, he missed a cabinet berth this time. 

Presently he is the chairman, Public Undertakings Committee, and member, Rules and Library and Amenities Committees. “Working for people and playing a catalytic role in development is my passion while my family — wife and two sons — who have all along stood with me is essence of my life,” says Bragta.

My focus is on reviving the stalled projects and the foundation stone of the bus stand has been laid within a short perio. Atal Bihari Vajpayee Engineering College at Pragati Nagar is being restored and Rs 30 crore would be spent on the construction of an auditorium and two buildings. 

“The biggest synthetic track in north India, measuring 400x 8 lanes, would be laid at Saraswati Nagar in the next two years at a cost of Rs 15 crore and it would be a multipurpose sports complex, which would later be developed as a training centre and sports hub” asserts Bragta, who himself is a keen sportsman and participated in the national volleyball games and played table tennis and badminton at the inter-college level.

Bragta who rose from the grassroots forayed into student politics with his election as the general secretary of the parliament of students in DAV school, Lakkar Bazar, and joined the ABVP in 1970. He went to jail along with 15 other students for the first time during protests against the termination of Prof Shyam Sunder, the then ABVP state president, by the management of SDB College, and was part of the mob which was brutally lathicharged during the protest. 

Bragta was elected vice-president of the Student’s Central Association of SDB College (now RKMV College) in 1971 and member of the HP University Court in 1973. He also served as a member of the HPMC Board.

He was president of the Janata Yuva Morcha (1978-82), the Fruit Growers’ Association, Shimla district, the HP Kisan Morcha (1993-98), the general secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party, Shimla diastrict (1983-87), executive member, state BJP (1993-2018), and secretary, National Kisan Morcha, 1994-96.

He has special Interest in agriculture, horticulture, sports, social activities and trekking. Attending social and cultural events are his favourite past time. A widely travelled person, Bragta has visited United Kingdom, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.  

His elder son, Chetan Bragta, is presently the state convenor of the Information Technology cell of the state BJP. He was also the national convener of social media of the BJYM.