Rebellion brews in Himachal BJP as Cong turncoats get tickets for bypolls

Dr. Ram Lal Markanda, a prominent BJP leader hailing from Lahaul & Spiti and a two-time minister, has launched his campaign, adamantly declaring his intent to contest the impending by-elections regardless of the party’s decision to nominate Congress turncoat Ravi Thakur from this constituency.

Ravi Thakur had defeated Dr. Markanda by a narrow margin of 1,616 votes in 2022.

Rakesh Kalia, who previously contested against Congress dissenter Chaitanya Sharma in 2022 but faced defeat, has tendered his resignation from the preliminary membership of the party. Kalia’s resignation, addressed to Himachal BJP chief Dr. Rajeev Bindal, underlined the angst within the party .

Sources suggest that similar rumblings of rebellion are emerging from other assembly constituencies.

Rajinder Rana, who spearheaded the revolt against Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, had won the Sujanpur seat by a mere 399-vote margin.

A BJP insider from Sujanpur expressed skepticism regarding the acceptance of these defector candidates, considering their narrow victories in the 2022 assembly elections.

Incidentally, five out of six assembly seats headed for bypolls fall within two Lok Sabha constituencies won by BJP candidates in the 2019 general elections.

Political analysts caution against jumping to any conclusions, emphasizing the role of public sentiment in Himachal Pradesh’s politics.

Prof Vikas Singh, an associate professor of political science at Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, said, “The people of Himachal Pradesh are emotional. Himachal follows a trend opposite to the center and has continued a culture of shifting the government every five years. In the context of the upcoming Vidhan Sabha by-election, it will depend on public opinion. We cannot link the Vidhan Sabha elections with the Lok Sabha elections, irrespective of the fact that they will be held simultaneously on June 1.”

Political science Prof Mridula Sharda of HPU, Shimla, believes that though there is a wave of BJP in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, it remains to be seen whether Congress will manage to convince the voters not to succumb to the wave or if BJP will take advantage of it. She says, “Closely monitoring the politics of Himachal, I believe that the state’s politics are very similar to those of developed countries. In Himachal Pradesh, issues matter a lot. Personally, I feel the current government hasn’t been able to show its mettle in the last year and half.”