Shimla: The BJP took stringent action on Friday by expelling Ram Lal Markanda and Rakesh Chaudhary from the party for six years. This was their first move as they both filed as Independents against the official BJP nominees, thereby choosing to contest the June 1st byelections in Himachal Pradesh.
Markanda and Chaudhary filed their nominations for the Lahaul-Spiti and Dharamshala constituencies, which were supposed to be done. The state BJP president, Rajeev Bindal, has come down heavily on showing the expulsion orders as the deadline for withdrawing nominations expired on Friday. In addition, Bindal mentioned the party congresses. As a result, his actions suppressed the party discipline. Subsequently, the orders stated, “Your contesting, as a candidate for assembly elections, as independents against the party (BJP) candidates amount to an indiscipline action. Consequently, your preliminary membership is revoked, and you are expelled from the party for six years.”
The National Assembly of Lahaul-Spiti and Dharamshala became vacant, as did four other districts, due to a major political shift early in the year. A fresh crisis emerged when a shocking event emerged during last year’s February election in the Rajya Sabha, with six legislators of the Congress coming out against the party and supporting the BJP. This group of rebel MLAs embraced the BJP and was awarded the tickets for the forthcoming byelections.
Markanda, BJP’s leading member, and Chaudhary, the discontented Congress lawmaker, were disappointed to see the BJP’s decision to field candidates from their party and went ahead to contest as independents. Those sprinting for Congress ticket memberships, the ones who failed, were also implicated by weevils who went down in secret. Strongly, Congress nominated Anuradha Rana for Lahaul-Spiti and Rajinder Singh Jaggi, Former Mayor of Dharamshala.
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