Nalagarh may see 3 old-timers pitted against each other in bypollq

Ambika Sharma

Solan, March 23

The Nalagarh Assembly seat will fall vacant after Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania accepts the resignation of local Independent MLA KL Thakur. In case the byelection to the Nalagarh seat is held, three old-timers may again fight against each other.

Thakur told The Tribune on phone, “I along with two other Independent MLAs have resigned from the Assembly in support of the six disqualified Congress MLAs to send the right message among the electorate.”

“Developmental activities have come to a halt under the Congress government. People had elected me for the development of the Nalagarh constituency but I could not execute any work and 15 valuable months were lost,” said Thakur, who was going to New Delhi from Shimla.

He added that while the youth were finding it difficult to get jobs, the unemployed were feeling cheated as they had no employment avenues. The industry, too, was suffering, he claimed.

Thakur left for New Delhi after submitting his resignation to Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla along with two other Independent MLAs. He said that he would return to Nalagarh after Holi after formally joining the BJP.

Thakur had remained the district president of the BJP in the past. He had contested from Nalagarh as an Independent candidate after the BJP denied him ticket in the 2022 Assembly elections. He, however, won the seat by defeating Congress candidate Hardeep Bawa and BJP candidate Lakhwinder Rana, who stood third.

The BJP had secured a margin of about 40,000 votes in the Nalagarh constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, which was among the highest margins across the nation.

The Nalagarh seat had witnessed interesting developments in the past three Assembly elections as three candidates switched parties or contested as Independents when their parties denied them ticket.

Former Congress MLA Lakhwinder Rana had joined the BJP right before the 2022 Assembly elections. Rana, however, fared poorly and stood third after Congress’ Hardeep Bawa.

Thakur was elected MLA from Nalagarh in 2012 on BJP ticket. However, he contested the 2022 elections as an Independent candidate after the BJP denied him ticket. Bawa, too, had contested as an Independent candidate after the Congress denied him ticket in the 2017 Assembly elections. He, however, fought the 2022 Assembly elections on Congress ticket.

Switching sides

The Nalagarh seat had witnessed interesting developments in the past three Assembly elections as three candidates switched parties or contested as Independents when their parties denied them ticket