The Congress Party has officially declared its candidates for three assembly constituencies in the upcoming by-elections in Himachal Pradesh. Ranjit Singh Rana is contesting from Sujanpur, Rakesh Kalia from Gagret, and Vivek Sharma from Kutlehar. This follows disciplinary action against six MLAs who rebelled by voting for the BJP in the Rajya Sabha elections.
Subsequently, Congress disqualified these six legislators for failing to follow the party whip during the budget session, leaving six assembly seats vacant. These include Dharamshala, Sujanpur, Lahaul & Spiti, Barsar, Gagret, and Kutlehar. Of these, Congress announced candidates for three seats on Friday, while nominee declarations for Lahaul & Spiti, Dharamshala, and Barsar are still awaited.
Source: aajtak
The Dismissed Legislators
Among the dismissed Congress MLAs were Sudhir Sharma, Ravi Thakur, Rajinder Rana, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Chaitanya Sharma, and Devinder Kumar Bhutto. Their disqualification has mandated by-elections within six months. The rebels have challenged the assembly speaker's decision in the Supreme Court, where the hearing is ongoing.
BJP Fields Former Congress Rebels for Bypolls
In a noteworthy move, the BJP has given tickets to all the 6 former Congress rebels for the by-elections. BJP's candidates are Sudhir Sharma for Dharamshala, Ravi Thakur for Lahaul & Spiti, Rajinder Rana for Sujanpur, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal for Barsar, Chaitanya Sharma for Gagret, and Devinder Kumar Bhutto for Kutlehar. Polls for these six constituencies are scheduled for June 1st, coinciding with voting for four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal Pradesh.
