Himachal assembly bypolls: BJP candidate Thakur files nomination from Nalagarh

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate KL Thakur on Thursday filed his nomination papers for the Nalagarh assembly byelections slated for July 10. He will face Congress’ Hardeep Singh Bawa. Former Independent legislator and now BJP candidate, Thakur has been a two-time MLA from Nalagarh. He won in 2012 on the BJP ticket and in 2022 as an Independent.

Former chief minister Jairam Thakur, former Union minister Anurag Thakur, state BJP president Rajiv Bindal, Lok Sabha member Suresh Kashyap and Rajya Sabha member Sikander Kumar were present at the nomination filing.

Addressing a public meeting after the nomination, Thakur made a scathing attack at his rival Hardeep Bawa. He called him an “outsider”.

“The Congress candidate is an outsider. He has shifted many places,“ he said while accusing the Congress government of sheltering the mining and drug mafia in the state.

“I am in politics to serve the people. I have no vested interest. I will continue with social service in the near future too,“ he said.

Anurag Thakur exuberated confidence that the electorate of Nalagarh will support KL Thakur in the elections.

“Congress only made false promises and did not fulfil even one. During the Jairam government, people of Himachal Pradesh got 125 units of free electricity, that too was taken back,” said Anurag. “Currently, there is a long queue of women outside the Congress office demanding ₹1 lakh, but the money has not been transferred to their accounts. Only the BJP gave gifts to Himachal. It was during the BJP regime that Himachal got the industrial package, and the Congress withdrew it,” he added.

BJP state president Rajiv Bindal castigated Congress over allocating a ticket to the chief minister’s wife Kamlesh Thakur from Dehra.

“This chief minister belongs only to friends and when it comes to providing electricity and water, he cries about an empty treasury. But when it comes to distributing cabinet ranks, there is no bar,” he added.

Bindal flayed unannounced power cuts in Nalagarh which is the main industrial belt.

“The government doesn’t have electricity for the people of Nalagarh,” he said. He criticised the government over the law-and-order situation in the state.

Leader of opposition Jairam Thakur hit out at the “internal strife” in Congress. “Ministers resign over two yards of land while the Congress chief has been vocal about government functioning. Where is the opposition at fault,” he asked.

“Congress party has completely lost the public trust. The BJP wrested the Mandi seat from Congress. The BJP won two of the six byelections. Power is gradually going away from Congress,“ he said.

Taking a jibe at the Congress candidate, Jairam said that the Congress candidate is not a resident of this place, and the people of this place should support the one who lives here.