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Congress rebel Rana meets his political mentor Dhumal
Rana, who was disqualified as the MLA from Sujanpur, will has been given the byelection ticket by the BJP along with the five other Congress rebels
After joining the Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress rebel Rajinder Rana met his political mentor and former Hiamchal Pradesh chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal after a gap of over 12 years.
He was accompanied by Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, another Congress rebel. The two politicians were among the six Congress rebels who had voted for BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan in the elections for the lone vacant Rajya Sabha seat in the state on February 27. The cross-voting had triggered a political crisis in the state, with BJP questioning the majority of the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government.
Rana, who was disqualified as the MLA from Sujanpur, will has been given the byelection ticket by the BJP along with the five other rebels. In his time with the Congress, Rana had found himself on the opposite side of the political spectrum from Dhumal, his political mentor and a stalwart of Himachal Pradesh politics. However, the dynamics seemed to have shifted as the two erstwhile adversaries sought common ground.
Rana had also defeated Dhumal in assembly elections in 2017.
The duo met Dhumal at the latter’s residence in Samirpur. According to the those close to the two leaders, Rana and Dhumal have shared a “love-hate” relationship in the past.
Once a protege of Dhumal, Rana fell out with the former CM before the 2012 assembly elections after BJP denied him a ticket. Rana contested as an independent and defeated the BJP candidate. After winning the elections, he extended his support to the Congress. The big moment came when in the 2017 elections, BJP pitched Dhumal, also the party’s chief ministerial face, against Rana from Sujanpur.
BJP stalwart and chief minister designate Dhumal, who had been shifted from his home constituency Hamirpur, was defeated by Rana by 1,919 votes.
Union home minister Amit Shah, during the 2017 assembly elections, had announced Dhumal as its CM candidate .Dhumal’s unexpected defeat shot social worker turned political leader Rana into the limelight. Dhumal’s defeat marked a general shift in the BJP as it chose Jai Ram Thakur to head the reign.
However, after rebelling against the Congress government, Rana is again in the BJP fold.
“I have remained a loyal soldier for the party. Now also whatever I can contribute to the BJP’s victory, I will do it,” Dhumal said after the meeting. “Both ( Rana and Lakhanpal ) were feeling suffocated in the Congress, so they chose to join the BJP,” he added.
“I have no words to explain how I felt meeting my guru after a gap of almost 12 years. I am delighted to be back in his fold. Dhumal jee has assured me his help in the elections,” said Rana.
According to the political analysts in the state, the newfound alliance could have far-reaching implications for the political landscape.
“The trend during election season in India is the rapid shift in political loyalties, though the politics of ‘aaya ram and gaya ram’. The practice has become increasingly common over the years with many political parties and leaders looking for greener pastures and a fairer weather for power grabbing. It may not be held good enough for the health of our democracy and the society at large,” said Ramesh K Chauhan, head of political science at the Himachal Pradesh University.
With the disqualification of the six Congress MLAs, the strength of the ruling party came down from 40 to 34, including the Speaker who can vote only in the case of a tie during a floor test, in the 68-member Assembly.
The BJP has 25 members.
The three Independents have resigned and joined the BJP but their resignation is yet to be accepted by the speaker.
