Himachal Pradesh: 3 Independent MLAs resign, to join BJP
Three Independent MLAs of Himachal Pradesh Assembly resigned on Friday and are expected to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), reports said. The MLAs, Ashish Sharma of Hamirpur constituency, Hoshiyar Singh of Dehra, and K L Thakur of Nalagarh, had backed the BJP candidate in last month's Rajya Sabha election. Their resignations were handed over to assembly secretary Yashpal Sharma after a meeting with opposition leader Jai Ram Thakur.
Why does this story matter?
Last month, six-Congress MLAs cross-voted during the Rajya Sabha election, securing victory for the BJP candidate. They were later disqualified by Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania. After the disqualification of the six MLAs, the total strength of the House has come down from 68 to 62. The majority mark is now 31 and the Congress has 34 MLAs. After the resignation of the three MLAs the total strength has further dropped to 59.
MLAs inform Governor of resignation, await approval
Following their resignation, the MLAs met with Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla to apprise him of their decision. However, Pathania has not yet approved their resignations. Talking to reports, Singh said, "Our conscience didn't allow voting for an outsider [Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi] in Rajya Sabha election...it was our right to vote as per our wish." "Ever since the result...the government has started the politics of vendetta," he added.
Will contest elections under leadership of Modi: MLA
"We will join the BJP and contest elections... under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National President JP Nadda," Singh added. Following the 2022 assembly elections, the Congress secured a clear lead in the 68-member state assembly with 40 MLAs, way ahead of the BJP's tally of 25 seats. To recall, the Election Commission of India has announced by-elections in the six assembly seats falling vacant after the disqualification of the Congress MLAs.
6 seats to go for bypolls
The ousted MLAs include Rajinder Rana, Sudhir Sharma, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Devinder Kumar Bhutoo, Ravi Thakur, and Chetanya Sharma. The recent disqualification action had created vacancies in assembly constituencies Dharamshala, Lahaul and Spiti, Sujanpur, Barsar, Gagret, and Kutlehar.
6 disqualified MLAs likely to contest bypolls
According to reports, the six disqualified MLAs are considering leaving the Congress to recontest from their seats. These MLAs, who previously contested their disqualification in the Supreme Court, are also contemplating withdrawing their plea to participate in the bypolls. If these Congress rebels contest on the BJP ticket and secure victory, it could elevate the BJP's assembly strength to 34, equal to that of Congress. Such an outcome would pose a significant challenge for the Congress in safeguarding its government.
