Nand Lal dies: former ITBP commando and 4-time Himachal MLA was 72 | Political Pulse News
Senior Congress leader and four-time MLA from Himachal Pradesh’s Rampur constituency, Nand Lal, passed away Tuesday following a prolonged illness. He was 72. He breathed his last at Atal Super Speciality Hospital, Chamiyana, in Shimla.
After Nand Lal’s demise, which would necessitate a by-election in the run-up to the Assembly elections slated for December 2027, the tally of the ruling Congress in the 68-member Himachal Pradesh Assembly has dipped to 39.
Nand Lal’s journey had been remarkable. Hailing from Devthi village of Rampur Bushahr in Shimla district, he completed his post-graduation in political science from Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), following which he joined the central armed police force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), in 1980.
Later, in the 1990s, he served in the elite Special Protection Group (SPG), which was then mandated to ensure security of certain designated protectees besides the Prime Minister and ex-PMs. As an SPG commando, besides handling various security duties, he had also been part of security detail of top Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.
“During his stint with the SPG, Nand Lal performed security duties for former and serving Prime Ministers. He was also deployed as a commando in the security detail of Sonia Gandhi. His services were recognised by former PMs Rajiv Gandhi and Chandra Shekhar, who reportedly issued him commendation certificates for his contribution to security duties. Apart from his SPG assignment, he also commanded an ITBP battalion in terrorism-affected areas of Jammu and Kashmir. In recognition of his services, he was awarded the President’s police medal,” a Congress leader told The Indian Express.
Proximity to Virbhadra
Nand Lal took voluntary retirement from the ITBP in 2007 to join the Congress. In the 2007 Himachal Assembly elections, he got the Congress ticket from his home turf Rampur, a Scheduled Caste (SC)-reserved seat, which he won with a margin of 6,470 votes.
He went on to win the Rampur seat in 2012 and 2017, establishing himself as a Congress leader in the state.
In 2013, during the tenure of the then Congress chief minister Virbhadra Singh, he was appointed as the Chief Parliamentary Secretary. He also served on various committees of the state Assembly. His political standing was shaped by his proximity to Virbhadra.
Nand Lal had been part of the Virbhadra faction in the state Congress, an association that continued to define his political identity even after the six-time CM’s demise in July 2021.
A Congress leader said, “Rampur Bushahr was the native place of Virbhadra Singh. Virbhadra’s family influence still prevails there. Nand Lal was also close to the Congress high command in Delhi. These facts played a crucial role in his political journey.”
In the 2022 elections, Nand Lal beat the BJP candidate by just 567 votes, even as the Congress returned to power under Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, a known Virbhadra rival, who took over as the new CM.
Sukhu’s outreach
In February 2024, when PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh, son of Virbhadra, had broken down while complaining against the Sukhu-led Congress government for not allowing to install a statue of his late father at Shimla’s Ridge, Nand Lal was among a group of party MLAs who were standing behind him at that press conference held at the ex-CM’s Holy Lodge house.
In March 2024, Sukhu named Nand Lal as the Seventh State Finance Commission chairman with a cabinet rank, which was seen in state Congress circles as the CM’s bid to reach out to his detractors within the party under pressure from the central party leadership.
His appointment came at a time when rifts within the Congress over the distribution of organisational and government positions had deepened. The then Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Pratibha Singh, wife of late Virbhadra, had publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the Sukhu government’s alleged failure to adequately accommodate party workers in significant positions.
As a leader affiliated to the Pratibha camp, Nand Lal’s elevation was politically significant. The State Finance Commission is tasked with examining financial arrangements and resource distribution involving local bodies, including Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies. Sources said due to multiple health issues, he was largely away from his official work, even as Sukhu used to meet him regularly.
A slew of state leaders, including Sukhu, Pratibha Singh, Vikramadtiya and state party chief Vinay Kumar, have expressed condolences on Nand Lal’s death.
