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The Congress party has announced its candidates for two of the three upcoming assembly bypolls in Himachal Pradesh. These bypolls, scheduled for July 10, are in Hamirpur, Nalagarh, and Dehra assembly segments. The bypolls were needed after the Speaker accepted the resignations of three independent MLAs who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Candidates and preparations

Hardeep Singh Bawa and Pushpendra Verma have been chosen as the Congress candidates for the Nalagarh and Hamirpur bypolls, respectively. The party has yet to name a candidate for the Dehra constituency. Hardeep Singh Bawa previously contested from Nalagarh in the 2022 elections but lost to KL Thakur, who ran as an independent. Pushpendra Verma also ran in the 2022 elections from Hamirpur and was defeated by Ashish Sharma, another independent candidate.

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The BJP has decided to field the three independent legislators whose resignations led to the bypolls. These MLAs are Hoshiyar Singh from Dehra, Ashish Sharma from Hamirpur, and KL Thakur from Nalagarh. These independents had supported the BJP candidate, Harsh Mahajan, in the Rajya Sabha elections on February 27.

Congress strategy

The Congress has appointed co-observers for each assembly bypoll. For Hamirpur, Rajnish Kimta, the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary, named Suresh Kumar, Chandershekhar, and Vivek Sharma as responsible for the seat. Bhawani Singh Pathania, Raghuvir Singh Bali, and Sanjay Rattan will oversee the Dehra bypoll, while Ram Kumar Chaudhary, Sanjay Awasthy, and Vinod Sultanpuri will manage Nalagarh.

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Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar has been appointed in charge of Dehra, Education Minister Rohit Thakur for Nalagarh, and Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani for Hamirpur. Kimta stated that the party is well-prepared for the bypolls, and the observers will coordinate closely with the party in-charge of each segment. The Congress is focusing on a strategic approach to ensure effective campaigning and voter engagement in these crucial bypolls.