Congress Names Candidates for Upcoming Himachal Pradesh Assembly Bypolls

The Congress party has officially announced its candidates for the upcoming by-elections in Himachal Pradesh, setting the stage for a closely watched electoral battle. In a strategic move, the party has nominated Zila Parishad chairperson Anuradha Rana for the Lahaul and Spiti seat and Subash Chand for the Barsar constituency. This decision was made public late Sunday night, ahead of the bypolls scheduled for June 1.

The endorsement of Rana and Chand's candidacies came directly from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, as per a formal statement released by the party. These candidates are poised to challenge BJP's Ravi Thakur and Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, respectively, both of whom are former Congress members who have since switched allegiances.

This latest announcement brings to five the total number of candidates the Congress has positioned for six assembly seats left vacant after a significant political shakeup in February. The vacancies arose following the disqualification of six Congress MLAs who defied party orders during a critical vote in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly.

Previously, on April 26, the Congress had revealed its choices for other constituencies, with Captain Ranjit Singh nominated for Sujanpur and Rakesh Kalia, a recent BJP defector, for Gagret. Additionally, Vivek Sharma was selected to represent Kutlehar, bringing a legacy connection into play as the son of Ram Nath Sharma, a senior Congress leader and former deputy speaker of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly. The party has yet to announce its candidate for Dharamshala.

The disqualification of the six rebel MLAs — including Thakur and Lakhanpal from Sujanpur and Dharamshala respectively, along with others from Gagret and Kutlehar — was a result of their failure to adhere to a party directive during a crucial assembly vote. Their actions, which included supporting a BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections on February 27, led to their ousting from the assembly and have added an extra layer of intrigue to the upcoming by-elections.

With these strategic nominations, the Congress aims to reclaim its influence in Himachal Pradesh's political landscape. The outcome of these by-elections will not only reflect the current political climate but also potentially set the tone for future electoral contests in the state.