SHIMLA: On Tuesday, three-time MP Suresh Chandel returned to the saffron party after leaving it in 2019 to join the Congress. Chandel was caught in a sting operation in 2005 while serving as the BJP's representative for Hamirpur in the Lok Sabha. Chandel is notably  a member of the Hamirpur parliamentary district and hails from the Bilaspur district.

An 'arch-rival' of BJP President J.P. Nadda, Chandel, 62, was eager to run as a candidate for the Congress in Hamirpur against incumbent BJP MP Anurag Thakur. However, Rahul Gandhi, the party's then-leader, barred him from running for office in order to avoid giving the impression that the party "is counting on BJP dissidents."  

In the presence of Nadda and Chief Minister Jairam Thakur, he re-joined the saffron party. Chandel announced his resignation from Congress and all party positions in a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi. On December 23, 2005, 11 MPs, including Chandel, were ousted from the House of Representatives for taking payments to ask questions.

Political experts think Chandel is a moderate politician with a large following in Bilaspur and the surrounding districts.
After the cash-for-query scandal, Chandel ran for office as a BJP candidate in the 2012 Assembly elections but lost. Chandel has been extremely active in the region for more than 15 years.

Elections for 68 Assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh are expected to take place in November.

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