Setback to Congress ahead of Himachal polls; CM Thakur welcomes leaders to BJP

Just days ahead of the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections, several Congress leaders joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday in the presence of Chief Minister Jairam Thakur.

Welcoming the leaders, the Himachal CM tweeted in Hindi: “Customs are changing. Today many colleagues including former office bearers of Congress party of Shimla left the Congress party and joined the BJP. Warm welcome to all of you in the BJP family. Let us work in solidarity for the historic victory of BJP.”

A total of 26 Congress leaders have joined the ruling BJP, according to a report by news agency ANI. These include former Congress general secretary Dharampal Thakur, former secretary Akash Saini, former councillor Rajan Thakur and former district vice president Amit Mehta among others, as per ANI.

The state, which goes to the polls on Saturday, has a history of alternating between the Congress and the BJP every assembly election since 1982.

Earlier on Sunday, BJP President J P Nadda, who also hails from Himachal Pradesh, released the party’s manifesto which promises the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), 33 per cent reservation for women in government jobs and educational institutions, and benefits for different segments. He also lauded Chief Minister Jairam Thakur for his governance in the poll-bound state and said that people have trust in the leadership of the CM and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

While the assembly polls in Himachal will be held in a single phase on November 12, the election for Gujarat is scheduled for December 1 and 5. The counting of votes in both states will take place on December 8.