Three rebel leaders return to BJP’s fold in Himachal

Rebel leaders – Urmil Thakur, Chetan Bragta, and Rakesh Chaudhary – who had quit the Bharatiya Janata Party over being denied tickets have returned to the party’s fold

Rebel leaders – Urmil Thakur, Chetan Bragta, and Rakesh Chaudhary – who had quit the Bharatiya Janata Party over being denied tickets by the party high command, returned to the party fold on Thursday.

Thakur, a former chief parliamentary secretary and the daughter-in-law of former BJP stalwart Jagdev Thakur, had defected to the Congress in 2014 (HT PHOTO)

Thakur, a former chief parliamentary secretary and the daughter-in-law of former BJP stalwart Jagdev Thakur, had defected to the Congress in 2014. Thakur, who has won the assembly elections in 1998 and 2007, had left the BJP after the part allotted a ticket to her brother-in-law Narendra Thakur, after he defected from the Congress.

Chetan Bragta, the son of former horticulture minister Narendra Bragta, had rebelled against the BJP after he was denied a ticket in the Jubbal-Kotkhai byelection. The assembly seat had fallen vacant after his father Narendra’s death. The party had fielded Neelam Seraik against Congress’ Rohit Thakur, while Bragta fought the elections as an independent candidate. Rohit Thakur won the bypoll, defeating Bragta with a margin of 6,293 votes.

Chaudhary, who had joined the Aam Aadmi Party, also returned to the BJP. The leader who belongs to the OBC ( Other Backward Class) community, had quit the party after he was denied a seat in the 2019 assembly polls.

The leaders were re-inducted into the BJP in the presence of state in-charge Avinash Rai Khanna, state president Suresh Kashyap, and general secretary Trilok Jamwal among others.