SHIMLA: As the ongoing internal squabbles continue to ruffle BJP and Congress cadres, two Congress MLAs- Lakhvinder Rana and Pawan Kajal, who is also party's working president- have joined the BJP today. This has come as a big jolt to Himachal Pradesh Congress ahead of the state assembly elections, which are just two months or so away.
By including Rana and Kajal in the saffron fold, the ruling BJP has avenged a similar jolt that Congress had given to the BJP.
Soon after they joined BJP, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur flew them to Delhi where they met BJP Chief Jagat Prakash Nadda along with Anurag Singh Thakur.
This had happened recently. BJP's former President Khimi Ram, who comes from Banjar, and Indu Verma, zila parishad member and wife of the former BJP MLA Rakesh Verma from Theog had joined Congress recently.
A series of swift political developments has proved beyond point that more such "switchovers and desertions" are in the offing. Many disgruntled netas are waiting in the wings in both the parties who might switch sides for political gains in days to come.
All in all, BJP and Congress are out to win elections by hook or by crook, throwing "their ideologies" in deep freeze for times to come.
There is also a hot topic of discussion in the state that Congress chairman of campaign committee Sukhwinder Singh Sukkhu and Jal Shakti minister Mahender Singh Thakur had close-door meeting in Sundarnagar on Tuesday.
Mahender Thakur, in fact, wants to launch his son in politics this time. There are talks that BJP might not give ticket to any “dynast” this time to attack “Congress and Gandhis and Virbhadra Singh and his family” in the coming state assembly elections.
This is all the more so as Congress hopes to come to power in the state partly by invoking "Virbhadra Singh’s legacy, partly by patronizing employees by offering them OPS, partly by propagating anti-incumbency and ongoing apple farmers' agitation” to hilt.
This has become a real worry for Ministers and BJP leaders in Himachal who, due to their ‘Putramoh’, want to launch their sons or daughters in politics in this elections.
Their fears are real. Prime Minister Narender Modi in his Independence Day address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort vociferously attacked Congress' Gandhi Dynasty.
Prime Minister sent across a clear message that “dynasts will not get place in BJP" and the party is under pressure to prove his words true”.
For one thing, Rana and Kajal have been facing music from the supporters of “Raja Virbhadra Singh group” in their home segments. This happened soon after Pratibha Singh took over the reins of party in Himachal Pradesh.
BJP is trumpeting this move as a big gain for the party- something it had experienced in Uttarakhand.
BJP is projecting “this defection” to de-popularize Congress and sully its image in public in its bid to beat anti-incumbency mood in state”.
BJP is fanning out a message that even “Congress MLAs are joining BJP. As Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur claimed, “This time Hum Riwaj Badle Ge, like they did it in Uttarakhand by performing its mission repeat in Himachal as well”.
However. at this point of time it will be too naïve on the part of the BJP to discern that the party would gain ground big enough to turn tables in both Nalagarh in Solan and Kangra in its favour.
By switching sides Rana and Kajal have also lost their "supporters". “The action in politics has its reaction, which is also equal and opposite as well”, say analysts.
The fact is, like ruling BJP, both Rana and Kajal also face anti-incumbency in their segments as they could not fulfil “high aspirations of the people just because they represented the opposition party in their tenure as MLAs for the last five years”.
In the same vein, BJP cadre is finding it difficult to digest entry of two Gulf-returned-moneyed businessmen-turned netas- Hoshiar Singh from Jaswan Pragpur and Prakash Rana from Jogindernagar- who joined BJP recently.
Hoshiar Singh and Prakash Rana had created a political stir in 2017 assembly elections when they reduced the bigwigs of both BJP and Congress to dust.
The entry of Rana and Singh into BJP had upset the supporters of Prof PK Dhumal in Kangra and Mandi. They both have moneybags to turn sides, but it will not be a cake walk for them as “anti-forces may join hands” against them if the old ticket-seekers of BJP” are ignored.
Singh had trounced Ravinder Ravi, a supporter of Prof PK Dhumal while Rana had defeated Gulab Singh Thakur, the father-in-law of Union IB and Youth Affairs Minister, Anurag Singh Thakur.
Even in the apple belt, Chetan Bragta, son of the former minister Narender Bragta, a Dhumal supporter from Jubbal Kotkhai, had rebelled against the BJP when the party denied the ticket to him in the last assembly bypolls.
He had contested the bypoll unsuccessfully and lost the seat to Congress candidate Rohit Thakur.
The resentment among the supporters of PK Dhumal still looms large in the BJP, despite the fact that BJP Central fire-fighters including Sambit Patra had come to Shimla, had a series of meetings with Dhumal and his supporters and took back Chetan Bragta last month.
But Hoshiar Singh and Rana had upset the applecart of Ravi and Gulab Singh Thakur. They along with Chetna Bragta are eyeing BJP tickets.
Lakhwinder Rana and Kajal joined BJP in presence of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, party president Suresh Kashyap. UD Minister Suresh Bhardwaj and other leaders, They made it a big political show to put Congress in poor light before the public.
Congress had no option other than expelling them from the party for six years.
Reacting to development Pradesh Congress committee president Pratibha Singh said that nobody would be spared for doing anti-party activities.
BJP and Congress leaders are making claims and counter claims that " they are in touch with certain rival leaders who ate willing to join their party".
So in days to come people may "witness and relish" more and more desertions or switchovers as the elections zero in on closer and closer in Himachal Pradesh.
