Himachal bypoll: For 3 Independent MLAs, return to BJP fold will be homecoming

Tribune News Service

Pratibha Chauhan

Shimla, March 22

For three Independent MLAs KL Thakur (Nalagarh), Ashish Sharma (Hamirpur) and Hoshiyar Singh (Dehra), who resigned from the Vidhan Sabha today, it will be homecoming when they join the BJP. They have a saffron background and had fought the 2022 Assembly poll as Independent candidates after the BJP denied them ticket.

KL Thakur said, “The BJP’s ideology will always remain our ideology in the past, present and future.” He had won the 2012 Assembly election from Nalagarh on BJP ticket but fought the 2022 elections as an Independent candidate after the party denied him ticket. Hoshiyar Singh (Dehra) and Ashish Sharma (Hamirpur) also contested as Independent candidates after the BJP did not grant them ticket.

4 Congress rebels, 2 Independents belong to Hamirpur LS segment

• Interestingly, four of the six disqualified Congress MLAs belong to the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency, the home turf of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. Two of three Independent MLAs, Hoshiyar Singh (Dehra) and Ashish Sharma (Hamirpur), are also from the Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat, thus taking the count to six
• Six Assembly seats repersented by six Congress rebels have fallen vacant in the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency, namely Sujanpur, Hamirpur and Barsar in Hamirpur district, Dehra in Kangra district and Gagret and Kutlehar in Una district

The trio praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda and confirmed that they would formally join the BJP and contest the byelections on the party ticket.

The Himachal Vidhan Sabha has a strength of 68 members; the Congress has 34 MLAs while the BJP has 25 legislators. “The BJP as part of its strategy has convinced the three to resign from the Assembly to ensure that the Congress does not woo them to get the simple majority of 35,” said a Congress leader. The three seats of Nalagarh, Hamirpur and Dehra will fall vacant if the Speaker accepts their resignations.

The Congress government is facing a political crisis triggered by cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha election on February 27. Interestingly, four of the six disqualified Congress MLAs belong to the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency, the home turf of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. Two of three Independent MLAs, Hoshiyar Singh (Dehra) and Ashish Sharma (Hamirpur), are also from the Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat, thus taking the count to six

As such it is clear that the maximum resentment is brewing in Hamirpur and the result of the Lok Sabha elections and the six Assembly byelections will be a litmus test for Sukhu’s leadership, who is facing criticism even from state Congress president Pratibha Singh and her minister son Vikramaditya Singh.

If the Speaker accepts their resignations and notifies the seats for byelections to the Election Commission of India, the possibility of nine Assembly byelections taking place with the Lok Sabha elections on June 2 cannot be ruled out.

Incidentally, six Assembly seats have fallen vacant in the Hamirpur parliamentary seat, namely Sujanpur, Hamirpur and Barsar (Hamirpur) and Dehra (Kangra), Gagret and Kutlehar (Una).

“False cases have been registered against us and our family members as part of vendetta politics unleased by the Chief Minister,” said Hoshiyar Singh. Echoing similar sentiments, Thakur said that the three of them had resigned out of their free will and in the interest of the state. “People voted for us to ensure development in our areas but it did not happen since the Congress came to power. We always believed in the BJP’s ideology though we were not given ticket in the 2022 elections. Now, we will contest the byelections on BJP ticket,” he added.

“At some stage, we had to join a political party. So, we consider ourselves fortunate that we have got an opportunity to rejoin the BJP and will contest on our party’s ticket,” said Ashish Sharma.

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