'No leader, no vision': Senior Congress leader Harsh Mahajan from Himachal joins BJP
India Today
Harsh Mahajan, Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee working president, on Wednesday joined the BJP.
Senior leader Harsh Mahajan became the latest in a long list of leaders to dump the Congress and join the BJP in recent years. Mahajan, who was the Himachal Pradesh Congress working president, quit the grand old party ahead of the upcoming assembly polls.
Mahajan joined the BJP in presence of senior party leaders, including Union Minister Piyush Goyal, at party headquarters in New Delhi. A former cabinet minister, Harsh Mahajan remained a Congress MLA from Chamba Assembly Constituency three times, winning consecutively in 1993, 1998, and 2003.
"I've been in Congress for about 45 years. I didn't lose an election. Congress was there till Virbhadra Singh was there. Today, Congress has become directionless. There is no vision and there is no leadership," Harsh Mahajan said, speaking about his exit from the party.
Virbhadra Singh, who passed away in 2021 due to a prolonged illness, had served six terms and 21 years as the 4th chief minister of Himachal Pradesh.
"After the passing away of Virbhadra Singh, there is nothing left for the Congress in the state. Congress will not win in Himachal, and the BJP will win again. PM Modi is the only leader who will take the country forward," Mahajan said, giving a glowing endorsement to the BJP government at the centre.
"I’m at the helm of affairs there. What I’ve noticed is that a section of leaders are doing sales of tickets and party posts," he added.
Recently, the Congress approved party tickets for all 20 sitting MLAs in Himachal Pradesh and is learnt to have finalised the names of another 15 candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in the state. Some of the names approved at the meeting include Vikramaditya Singh from Shimla Rural and Mukesh Agnihotri from Haroli. Singh is the son of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, and Agnihotri is the CLP leader in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly.
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