Nand Lal, a four-time Congress MLA from Himachal Pradesh’s Rampur constituency, died on Tuesday at 72 after a prolonged illness. He passed away at Atal Super Speciality Hospital in Shimla.
His death leaves the Congress with 39 members in the 68-seat state Assembly and creates a vacancy in Rampur ahead of the December 2027 Assembly elections. Nand Lal had represented the Scheduled Caste-reserved constituency four times, winning his first election in 2007.
Born in Devthi village, Nand Lal earned a postgraduate degree in political science from Himachal Pradesh University. He joined the Indo-Tibetan Border Police in 1980 and later served in the SPG, including Sonia Gandhi’s security detail. He also commanded an ITBP battalion in Jammu and Kashmir and received the President’s Police Medal.
Nand Lal retired voluntarily in 2007 to enter politics and won Rampur by 6,470 votes. He retained the seat in 2012 and 2017. In 2013, Virbhadra Singh’s government made him chief parliamentary secretary. His ties to Virbhadra and the leader’s family shaped his standing in state Congress.
In 2022, Nand Lal defeated the BJP candidate by 567 votes as Congress returned to power under Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. In 2024, he stood with Vikramaditya Singh during a dispute over a proposed statue of Virbhadra at Shimla’s Ridge.
Sukhu also made him chairman of the Seventh State Finance Commission with cabinet rank in March 2024, amid tensions with Pratibha Singh’s camp. Health issues limited his work. Sukhu, Pratibha Singh, Vikramaditya Singh and party chief Vinay Kumar mourned him.

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