Rampur Congress MLA Nand Lal dies at 72

Rampur Congress MLA and Himachal Pradesh’s Seventh State Finance Commission Chairman Nand Lal died at Chamiyana Hospital in Shimla at 5 am on Tuesday after a prolonged illness. He was 72.

His death has triggered a wave of grief in Rampur Bushahr and across Himachal Pradesh. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had visited Chamiyana Hospital on Monday to enquire about his health.

Before entering politics, Nand Lal served in the security forces, including the Special Protection Group (SPG). After receiving training from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), he worked as a commando and joined the SPG in 1985, serving with the elite security unit until 1997.

During his tenure, he was assigned security duties for then Congress president Sonia Gandhi. His association with the Gandhi family’s security also earned him the media nickname ‘Sonia’s Sentinel’.

He also played an important role in security arrangements during the 1982 Asian Games, the 1983 Non-Aligned Movement meeting and the 1984 Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. He commanded an ITBP battalion twice in militancy-affected areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

Nand Lal took voluntary retirement from government service in 2007 and entered politics by contesting the Assembly election from Rampur on a Congress ticket. He won and went on to represent the constituency for four consecutive terms in 2007, 2012, 2017 and 2022. In the 2022 Assembly elections, he defeated BJP candidate Kaul Singh Negi.

During his political career, he served as Chief Parliamentary Secretary in the Himachal Pradesh government from 2013 to 2017. Between 2018 and 2022, he was associated with the Assembly’s Welfare and Rural Planning committees and also chaired the Privileges Committee.

In March 2024, the Himachal Pradesh Governor appointed him the chairman of the Seventh State Finance Commission, which was tasked with reviewing the financial position of panchayats and urban local bodies in the state.

Born on April 16, 1954, in Devthi village of Rampur Bushahr in Shimla district, Nand Lal was the son of Pyare Lal. He completed his MA in Political Science from Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla. He is survived by his wife, Satya Devi, and a son.

His journey from serving in the country’s security forces to representing Rampur in the Assembly for four consecutive terms made him a prominent figure in the region’s public life. His death marks a major loss for the Congress and the people of Rampur.