BJP rebel K L Thakur wins from Nalagarh seat in Himachal polls

BJP rebel K L Thakur, who contested as an Independent, won from Nalagarh assembly seat in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday, according to the Election Commission. Thakur defeated his nearest Congress rival Hardeep Singh Bawa by a margin of 13,264 votes.

Thakur had won the 2012 state polls on a BJP ticket but lost in 2017 and was denied a ticket by the party this time.

The BJP chose Lakhwinder Singh Rana, a two-term Congress MLA, who jumped ship ahead of the elections.

All the three Independent candidates in the fray -- Thakur, Hoshiyar Singh from Dehra and Ashish Sharma from Hamirpur -- were BJP rebels.