Two-term Congress MLA from Nalagarh Lakhwinder Rana likely to join BJP

Ambika Sharma

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Solan, August 16

There is speculation that Lakhwinder Rana, two-term Congress MLA from Nalagarh, may join the BJP as the party has failed to take any concrete action against his dissidents.

Rana had stopped using the Congress’ symbol on his social media account while uploading his programmes in the constituency since the last several days. His programmes were being uploaded in his individual capacity and he was also seen maintaining a stoic silence against the BJP and not opposing it like before.

He was irate at the senior Congress leaders for systematically trying to weaken him as a faction of the party was encouraging his dissident Hardeep Bawa, president of the Indian National Trade Union Congress who was made the general secretary as well.

Bawa, who had unsuccessfully contested the last Assembly poll against Rana, was expelled from the party in 2017 for six years but was re-inducted and promoted as the general secretary. He had stepped up his activities and was keen to contest the Assembly poll for which he was creating a divide among the workers by opposing the sitting MLA.

Despite openly indulging in such anti-party activities the Congress leadership had failed to take any stern action against Bawa. Rana had aired his grievances before state in-charge Rajiv Shukla, Pradesh Congress Committee president Pratibha Singh as well as chairman of the party’s campaign committee Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu. He had also made a written complaint before the senior leaders about the “anti-party activities” of Bawa but to no avail.

The two-term MLA who had joined the Congress in 2011 after being denied a ticket by the BJP in the byelection. He has roots in the BJP where he had remained a district president as well as was a two-term mandal president. During his 32-year political career, he had also remained a student leaders of the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad.

It remains to be seen if Congress would manage to quell dissidence brewing at Nalagarh and manage to prevail upon Rana who seems to be fighting a decisive battle in the party now.