Cracks in Nalagarh BJP after KL Thakur inducted into party

Ambika Sharma

Solan, March 26

A piquant situation has arisen in BJP’s Nalagarh mandal where the party workers owing allegiance to former MLA Lakhwinder Rana have failed to accept KL Thakur’s induction into the party fold after the latter rebelled and contested as an Independent in the 2022 Vidhan Sabha poll.

Party’s official nominee Lakhwinder Rana had suffered a humiliating defeat by remaining at the third position after the Congress candidate while Thakur had won the seat as an Independent. Rana, who was a sitting Congress MLA, had joined the BJP days weeks before the Assembly election. Though Rana was earlier, too, a BJP leader but he had switched sides after being denied a party ticket in 2005.

In a bid to quell dissidence, a special meeting of BJP’s Nalagarh mandal was organised under the chairmanship of Mandal president Manohar Thakur at Nalagarh today. Rana while expressing his resentment at the entry of Thakur stated that the workers who stood with the organisation in every situation holding it supreme, have been let down. They had not sided with those who had left the party in opportunism in 2022. These loyal workers were now feeling ignored and belittled in the current scenario.

The party workers also expressed their pain in the presence of state BJP president Dr Rajeev Bindal and asked fate of the party leaders in such a situation.

Dr Bindal, who had convened the meeting to strike a balance between the supporters of Thakur and Rana, said Rana was a senior leader of the party and special care will be taken of his honour.