Two Sitting Cong MLAs in Himachal, Including State Working President, Join BJP

On the same day as them joining the BJP, news came in of the Congress expelling both of them from party membership.

Two Himachal Pradesh Congress MLAs, Pawan Kajal and Lakhvinder Rana, joined the BJP in the presence of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.

(Photo: PTI)

Two Himachal Pradesh Congress MLAs, Pawan Kajal and Lakhvinder Rana, joined the BJP in the presence of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.

Congress' Kangra MLA Kajal and Nalagarh representative Rana, who is also the party's state working president, joined the BJP just months before the assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh.

On the same day as them joining the BJP, news came in of the Congress expelling the two of them from the party membership for six years for "anti-party" activities.

The expulsion letter to Rana read, "Consequent of the reports received regarding indulgence in anti party activities, and with the approval of AICC incharge Shri Rajiv Shukla, MP, Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee President, Smt. Pratibha Singh, MP, has expelled Shri Lakhvinder Rana from the Indian National Congress membership for six years with immediate effect."

Apart from Thakur, BJP national general secretary Arun Singh was also present at the event when the two Congress leaders switched over to the saffron party.

Both Kajal and Rana said they were impressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "inspirational leadership" and were joining the BJP due to the party's "pro-people" policies.

Himachal Pradesh will go to poll later this year.

(With inputs from PTI.)