The political landscape in Himachal Pradesh has been stirred by allegations of nepotism and electoral malpractice with BJP state president Dr Rajeev Bindal accusing the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government of misusing administrative powers to favour his wife Kamlesh Thakur, who has been announced a candidate for the July 10 Dehra Assembly bypoll.
Dr Bindal pointedly criticised the timing of the Himachal cabinet’s decision to make Dehra a police district, alleging it was a clear attempt to sway votes in favour of the Chief Minister’s wife.
“The announcement to make Dehra a police district amidst ongoing byelections is a severe violation of constitutional norms… Earlier, it was a ‘government of friends, by friends and for friends’. Now, it has transformed into a ‘government of husband, wife and friends’,” Dr Bindal asserted during a press conference.
The BJP state chief accused the Election Commission of failing to intervene, questioning its impartiality in overseeing electoral processes both in the recent Lok Sabha elections and the upcoming byelections.
He further challenged the government’s intentions, questioning whether such decisions would have been made if not for the Chief Minister’s familial ties to Dehra. He argued that if the government genuinely cared about the region, substantive developmental projects such as a medical college or university would have been announced long before now.
“The people of Dehra see through these tactics aimed at garnering votes,” Dr Bindal declared, emphasising that such “manoeuvres violated the election code of conduct and undermined democratic principles”.
He criticised the government for neglecting critical issues facing the state, including water scarcity, forest fires, rising crime rates and unchecked drug trafficking, accusing the cabinet of prioritising political gains over governance.
