After experiencing setback in the recently concluded Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections, the BJP is expected to tread cautiously as it approaches the nomination process for the forthcoming Assembly bypoll in Nalagarh, Dehra and Hamirpur constituencies slated for July 10.
The Election Commission’s announcement of the schedule for these bypoll on Monday has set the stage for a strategic political manoeuvring.
In the 2022 Assembly poll, Independent MLAs Hoshyar Singh, Ashish Sharma and KL Thakur had won from Dehra, Hamirpur and Nalagarh. All the three had joined the BJP on March 23, a day after tendering their resignations to the Speaker, which necessitated the byelections in the three seats.
The BJP strategy to field Congress turncoats in the recent bypoll yielded mixed results, with victories in only two —Dharamshala and Barsar — of the six constituencies. The poor results were seen as a fallout of discontent within the party cadre over fielding leaders from other parties.
With the acceptance of their resignations on June 3, the Vidhan Sabha’s strength had fallen to 65 members, with the Congress bolstering its tally to 38 seats while the BJP holds 27.
The BJP’s dilemma lies in whether to field the newly inducted Independent MLAs as its candidates, despite facing opposition from senior party leaders like Ramesh Dhwala, Ravinder Ravi, Lakhvinder Rana and Narinder Thakur.
The discontent among party stalwarts was palpable during the induction of the three Independent MLAs, which culminated in protests and appeals for intervention.
