Another masterstroke! BJP to form government in Himachal Pradesh; Here's what we know so far-

NewsBharati    28-Feb-2024 10:59:56 AM
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In fresh trouble for the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Jai Ram Thakur met Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla amid speculation that the BJP might bring in a no-confidence motion against the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government.

himachal pradesh Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu jai ram thakur

What happened?


High drama unfolded in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday after BJP pulled off a masterstroke by defeating the Congress’s Abhishek Manu Singhvi in the Rajya Sabha elections because of cross-voting by six of the party’s MLAs.

BJP's Harsh Mahajan, a former Congress leader, won the election in a draw of slips after both he and Singhvi polled 34 votes each in the 68-member Assembly. Out of the two slips, the one that was drawn carried Singhvi’s name and as per the norms he was “excluded” and Mahajan was declared the winner.

The Congress has 40 MLAs in the House compared to BJP’s 25 and was counting on the support of three Independent MLAs. However, Congress MLAs - Rajinder Rana, Sudhir Sharma, Chaitanya Sharma, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Davinder Kumar Bhutto and Ravi Thakur - and Independent legislators Ashish Sharma, K L Thakur, and Hoshyar Singh voted for Mahajan.
 
A cryptic post was also shared by BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya saying, "The Gandhis have a holiday villa in Himachal Pradesh. But Sonia Gandhi chose Rajasthan, to go to the Rajya Sabha, instead of Himachal, which should have been a natural choice. Did Sonia Gandhi know something that Abhishek Manu Singhvi wasn’t told? Did the Gandhis ambush Singhvi?" 
 
 
 
Notably, Himachal Pradesh minister & Congress MLA Vikramaditya Singh stepped down from his position, a move that can cause more trouble for the Congress. Sources also claims that Congress state chief Pratibha Singh will also resign today. 
 
 

What do the BJP and Congress claim?


The Congress, on its part, has dismissed the BJP’s claims. “We have not lost the trust. We got 34 votes and they got 34 votes. Six Congress MLAs did cross-voting,” Sukhu said on Tuesday.
 

“Congress is frustrated now… their government is in trouble not because of us but because of their own deeds,” Thakur told reporters after the meeting. “The Congress has lost the mandate is all I can say,” he added. BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan won the Rajya Sabha election despite the Congress having massive majority in Vidhan Sabha… Right now, Congress government has no right to remain in power,” Thakur added.
 

Thakur asserted, “If cross-voting happens in Rajya Sabha, it is not invalid as per clear Election Commission’s guidelines.”
 
 

It is pertinent to mention that the trouble for the Congress government in the state comes at a time when the Assembly’s annual Budget session is going on and ahead of voting on the state Finance Bill in the Assembly.
 
The Budget Session of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly has been convened for today. The BJP is pressing for division voting on the passing of the Budget after it is introduced in the assembly. If the Congress is unable to see the Bugdet through, the government in the state will fall.
BJP Himachal Pradesh Congress Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu Jai Ram Thakur Shiv Pratap Shukla