Independent MLAs Join BJP and Vie for Re-Election

Three independent MLAs have joined the BJP and are contesting the upcoming bypolls from their respective constituencies. Ashish Sharma, Hoshiyar Singh, and K L Thakur are the candidates for Hamirpur, Dehra, and Nalagarh respectively. The bypolls will be held on July 10, following a series of resignations and political shifts.

Three independent MLAs who recently aligned with the BJP after voting in its favor during the Rajya Sabha elections earlier this year are now in the fray for re-election from their respective constituencies in the upcoming bypolls.

The BJP on Thursday announced Ashish Sharma (Hamirpur), Hoshiyar Singh (Dehra), and K L Thakur (Nalagarh) as its candidates for the bypolls scheduled for July 10.

These MLAs, alongside six Congress rebels, had supported BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan in the February 27 elections. Following their resignations on March 22, the Speaker accepted their resignations on June 3, just after the conclusion of other by-elections and Lok Sabha polls.

The results, declared on June 4, saw the Congress winning four out of the six seats, while the BJP secured the remaining two. Despite this setback, the BJP is taking another risk by fielding the same three Independent MLAs. Both parties have already appointed incharges for the upcoming assembly bypolls.

K L Thakur is a seasoned representative from Nalagarh, having served as an MLA for both the BJP in 2012 and as an Independent in 2022. Hoshiyar Singh is also a two-time MLA from Dehra, elected as an Independent in 2017 and 2022. Ashish Sharma is a first-time MLA from Hamirpur.