The Newz Radar Network
Hardeep Singh Bawa of the Congress, who won the byelection from the Nalagarh Assembly constituency, has become the first Sikh MLA of the current Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha.
Bawa defeated BJP’s KL Thakur by 8,990 votes. He got 34,608 votes against 25,618 for his nearest rival. Independent candidate Harpreet Singh Saini, also a Sikh, finished third with 13,025 votes. Kishori Lal Sharma of the Swabhiman Party received 492 votes, and another independent candidate, Vijay Singh, received 353 votes. Nalagarh recorded the highest number of NOTA votes among the three constituencies, with 446 voters choosing this option.
No Muslim has ever won
Himachal Pradesh has 68 assembly seats and since the state’s formation in 1971, no Muslim MLA has been elected despite a Muslim population of 2.1% (approximately 1.5 lakh), living in regions like Chamba, Sirmaur, Mandi, Bilaspur and upper Shimla. The Muslim population in Himachal is dispersed, making it difficult to elect an MLA. No major political party has fielded a Muslim candidate.
Sikh MLA was even a minister
Despite a smaller population than Muslims, Sikhs have had representation in Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha. The Sikh population is about 1.6% (approximately 90,000 people). Paramjit Singh Pammi of the BJP represented the Doon Assembly constituency in Solan from 2017-22 while Harinarayan Saini has previously served as MLA and Minister from Nalagarh. The Sikh population is primarily located in areas like Paonta Sahib, Una, Kangra and Solan districts.
Following the byelections, the Congress has regained its strength of 40 MLAs, matching its tally from the 2022 Assembly results. The opposition BJP has increased its count from 25 to 28 but remains five seats short of the 35 needed to form the government.
