The ruling BJP in Himachal Pradesh has decided to field three former independent MLAs who recently joined the party as their candidates for the upcoming by-elections scheduled on July 10th in the Dehra, Nalagarh and Hamirpur assembly constituencies. While this decision was expected given the MLAs resignation and entry into the BJP, it could stir discontent within the party ranks.
Hoshiyar Singh will contest from Dehra, KL Thakur from Nalagarh and Ashish Sharma from Hamirpur. All three were previously elected as independent candidates from these seats after they were denied tickets by the BJP in the 2022 state polls. By nominating them now, the party aims to reclaim these constituencies.
However, two former ministers Ramesh Dhawala and Ravinder Ravi who lost from Dehra are dissatisfied with this move and may undermine Singh's prospects through their influence. In Nalagarh, KL Thakur had defeated BJP's candidate Lakhwinder Rana, who is opposed to Thakur rejoining the party. Narinder Thakur, son of a senior leader and former MLA, also aims to challenge Ashish Sharma in Hamirpur.
Cross-voting and sabotage by disgruntled local leaders was blamed for BJP's poor performance in recent bypolls. With resentment brewing once more, the nominations have the potential to backfire if dissidence isn't addressed. While bringing the independent MLAs into the fold achieves an objective, it has added to the factionalism plaguing the state unit of the party. How effectively the leadership manages internal rifts will determine the final outcome.
