Divided Himachal Congress unit loses another leader to BJP

Harsh Mahajan held various key posts in party, was unhappy since Virbhadra Singh's death, says 'Cong has lost its direction'

Harsh Mahajan with BJP president JP Nadda and union minister Piyush Goyal (Express)

In another blow to the Congress ahead of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections, senior party leader and state working president Harsh Mahajan joined the BJP Wednesday in the presence of Union minister Piyush Goyal and BJP national secretary Vinod Tawde.

“I have spent nearly 45 years in the Congress party, after having held several positions. I looked after the management of state elections and worked closely with (former Chief Minister) Virbhadra Singh. The party has lost direction at the moment. I am confident that the BJP will win because Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the popular face,” said Mahajan after his official induction into the BJP at the party headquarters.

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His move intensifies the trouble for the Congress’s Himachal Pradesh unit, which has been battling factionalism since the death of former CM Virbadhra Singh. From former state unit head Khimi Ram, to MLAs Lakhwinder Rana and Pawan Kajal, several leaders have jumped ship to the BJP in the last few months.

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Reacting to Mahajan’s move, Naresh Chauhan, the Vice President of the Himachal Pradesh Congress, said, “It is very unfortunate that Mr Mahajan has left the party for which he worked for so long. The reasons are better known to him. Whenever the Congress was in power, he was given senior positions and was of great importance to the party. We do not know what prompted this decision.”

Welcoming Mahajan to the party, Goyal said that the BJP had created history in Uttarakhand by returning to power. “We are confident that there will be a similar outcome in Himachal and the joining of Harsh Mahajan has strengthened our party.”

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In over four decades of his association with the Congress, Mahajan held various key posts within the organisation. The son of former Cabinet minister Des Raj Mahajan, he started out at the party’s student outfit NSUI and went on to be its president for nearly 10 years.

Mahajan won the Chamba Assembly constituency consecutively between 1998 and 2003. In 1993, Mahajan was appointed parliament secretary and held the animal husbandry post in Singh’s Cabinet.

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Mahajan was known for his proximity to Singh, serving as his political advisor. He also managed the workings of state election committees and handled key affairs under him.

Mahajan has repeatedly remarked that the party has lost vision since Singh’s passing. He was appointed the party’s state working president this year to oversee the coming elections.

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