Rajendra Rana has made waves by announcing his decision to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), citing growing discontent within the ranks of the Congress. Speaking on Saturday, Rana hinted at a broader trend, suggesting that many other MLAs within the Congress harbour similar sentiments and may soon follow his lead.
Amid a deepening political crisis in the state, nine former MLAs, including six disqualified Congress members and three independents who resigned, have thrown their lot in with the BJP. Welcomed warmly upon his return to Shimla after formally joining the BJP in New Delhi, Rana asserted, “Many more MLAs are feeling suffocated in the Congress and are reaching out to us.” He pledged to demonstrate courage in the coming days by parting ways with the Congress.
Blaming the Congress leadership for what he termed a ‘political disaster’ in Himachal Pradesh, Rana alleged that the state government is ‘on a ventilator’. “In the last 15 months,” he lamented, “elected representatives were humiliated, leaving us unable to answer the people’s queries about the unfulfilled promises made during the last assembly elections.”
The six rebel Congress MLAs who have crossed over to the BJP, including Sudhir Sharma, Ravi Thakur, and Rajindra Rana himself, were elected on Congress tickets but faced disqualification on February 29 for disobeying party directives during key assembly proceedings. Joining their ranks are three independent MLAs – Ashish Sharma, Hoshiyar Singh and K L Thakur – who submitted their resignations on Friday, aligning themselves with the BJP. Hoshiyar Singh expressed his commitment to contributing to the nation’s development under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Election Commission has declared polls for all six assembly constituencies to coincide with the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and is expected to announce elections for the remaining three constituencies simultaneously. With the BJP setting its sights on clinching victory in all nine seats, the party aims to bolster its representation in the house to 34 members, matching the current tally held by the Congress. Meanwhile, the Congress is determined to defend its stronghold by sparing no effort to retain the six seats and vigorously pursuing victory in the remaining three to solidify its dominance in the state.
