Major Vijay Singh Mankotia, a veteran leader from Himachal Pradesh who served as an MLA five times and a minister twice, has passed away at the age of 87. Major Mankotia represented the Shahpur assembly constituency as an MLA on five occasions. He was first elected as an independent MLA from Shahpur in 1982. Mankotia remained active in Himachal politics for four decades.
He passed away at his ancestral home in Tiara, Kangra district. A heart attack is reported to be the cause of death.
Major Mankotia served as the long-time president of the Ex-Servicemen League and held significant influence among ex-servicemen.
**Bitter rivalry with Virbhadra Singh**
He shared a deeply acrimonious relationship with Virbhadra Singh, the six-time Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. Mankotia had leveled corruption allegations against Virbhadra Singh and brought the ‘CD scandal’ to light. This CD controversy dominated Himachal politics for a long time, although nothing substantial ultimately came of it.
**Contested elections representing various parties**
Throughout his long political career, Mankotia contested elections—and won—representing different political parties. Apart from the Congress, he also contested as a Janata Dal candidate and as an independent. He joined the Congress in 1985 and was inducted into Virbhadra Singh’s cabinet in 1995. He contested the 2007 assembly election on a BSP ticket but lost, subsequently returning to the Congress. He contested the 2012 assembly election on a Congress ticket but lost again; during this period, he was appointed Vice-Chairman of the Himachal Tourism Board.
**Candidacy issue and contesting as an independent**
After the Congress denied him a ticket and fielded Kewal Singh Pathania instead, he contested the 2017 assembly election as an independent candidate. There was speculation that he might join the Aam Aadmi Party, but he joined the BJP instead.
**BJP Leadership Expresses Deep Grief**
The national and state leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party has expressed deep grief over the demise of Major Vijay Singh Mankotia. Senior BJP leaders—including Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda; former Union Minister and MP Anurag Thakur; State BJP President Dr. Rajeev Bindal; Leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister Jairam Thakur; former Chief Ministers Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal and Shanta Kumar; MPs Suresh Kashyap, Dr. Rajeev Bhardwaj, and Kangana Ranaut; Rajya Sabha members Dr. Sikander Kumar and Harsh Mahajan; State Organization General Secretary Siddharthan; and State General Secretaries Sanjeev Katwal, Payal Vaidya, Bikram Thakur, and Satpal Singh Satti—have expressed their condolences to the bereaved family.
