After Rajya Sabha poll victory, Harsh Mahajan proves again why he’s called ‘Chanakya’ of Himachal politics
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The Newz Radar
CHAMBA: Harsh Mahajan, son of Himachal Pradesh’s first Revenue Minister Desraj Mahajan, is one name in Himachal politics whose political account has no other word than victory.
On Wednesday, Mahajan, who is now in the BJP, pipped all-powerful legal luminary Abhishek Manu Singhvi in the Rajya Sabha election from the state despite the latter being supported by the Congress that has 40 MLAs in the House.
A few weeks before the last Assembly elections, Mahajan had dealt a big blow to the Congress by leaving the party and joining the BJP. Seeing Mahajan’s political stature and popularity, the BJP projected him as a star campaigner in the Assembly elections. He campaigned for the BJP in all five Assembly seats of Chamba district and as a result, veteran Congress leader Thakur Singh Bharmouri of Bharmour and veteran Congress leader Asha Kumari of Dalhousie had to face defeat.
Mahajan has so far contested the Himachal Assembly elections thrice from Chamba Assembly constituency and won each time. His name is recorded as the first leader to make a record of hat-trick of wins in Chamba district. The victories are such that there is no winning less than Rs 10,000 votes.
After registering consecutive victories, Mahajan decided not to contest elections, which surprised entire Himachal. Even former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had revealed during his Chamba tour that he wanted Mahajan to contest elections again, but the latter didn’t agree. It is another matter that entire Himachal knows how influential Mahajan was during the Dhumal and Virbhadra governments.
To capture the lone Rajya Sabha seat of Himachal, which was considered to be in the hands of the ruling Congress, the BJP nominated Mahajan as its candidate. With 40 MLAs, the numbers appeared stacked in favour of the Congress, but Mahajan pulled off a political stunner with his shrewdness, proving why he’s called the ‘Chanakya’ of Himachal’s politics.
Mahajan’s victory made a seemingly impossible task possible and created history in Himachal as it is the first time that a leader from Chamba district will represent the state in the Rajya Sabha.
Hat-trick of victories
Fighting on the Congress ticket, Mahajan defeated BJP’s Kishori Lal by 13,585 votes in his first Assembly election in 1993 from Chamba constituency
Contested the second election in 1998 against then BJP district president KK Gupta and won by a record 14,411 votes
Fought the third election in 2003 against BJP’s BK Chauhan, a retired IAS officer, and won by more than 15,000 votes
