BJP fields all 6 ex-Congress MLAs in Himachal assembly bypolls
The Bharatiya Janata Party has nominated six former Congress MLAs to contest the upcoming bypolls in Himachal Pradesh, each from the constituencies they previously served. The by-elections for these six seats are scheduled for June 1, along with the Lok Sabha elections. To recall, these six MLAs had cross-voted for the BJP's candidate in last month's Rajya Sabha election and were subsequently disqualified by the Congress. On Saturday, these MLAs and three other Independent legislators officially joined the saffron party.
Why does this story matter?
After the disqualification of six MLAs, the Himachal Pradesh Assembly's strength decreased from 68 to 62, with the majority mark at 31. As of now, the Congress has 34 MLAs. With the resignation of three Independent MLAs, the assembly's strength further reduced to 59 members. If the Congress rebels win under the BJP ticket, it would bring the saffron party's assembly tally to 34—matching the Congress. Such an outcome would pose a challenge for the Congress in safeguarding its government.
Who are the 6 Congress turncoats
The ousted MLAs who joined the BJP are: Rajinder Rana, Sudhir Sharma, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Devinder Kumar Bhutoo, Ravi Thakur, and Chetanya Sharma. Their disqualification from the Congress had created vacancies in Dharamshala, Lahaul and Spiti, Sujanpur, Barsar, Gagret, and Kutlehar. They were disqualified on February 29 for defying the Congress's whip to be present in the House and vote in favour of the state government during a cut motion and budget.
Read: BJP's list for the bypolls
BJP welcomes inclusion of 6 MLAs in its fold
Welcoming them into the BJP on Saturday, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said, "The nation trusts Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guarantee today...I am certain that your joining the BJP will add to the party's strength." Leader of Opposition in the Himachal assembly and BJP MLA Jai Ram Thakur said it is a "big political development for such a small state." The ex-MLAs, on their part, targeted the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government, saying development work had stalled since it came to power.
