Himachal Pradesh crisis highlights: Will keep fighting, says CM Sukhu
Himachal Pradesh highlights: Catch all the news highlights on the crisis surrounding Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's government here
Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has dismissed reports that he offered his resignation to the central Congress leadership.
As many as 14 MLAs of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) have been expelled from the Himachal Pradesh Assembly amid the ongoing Rajya Sabha polls row. Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur has also been expelled by the Assembly speaker
Harsh Mahajan, the BJP leader who won the lone Rajya Sabha seat of Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday, claimed that his party is going to form government in the state soon. "BJP is going to form its government in the state. Some more MLAs of Congress are in touch with us. I got phone calls from some of their MLAs and ministers...The situation is going to change in the next few hours and you will see BJP will form its govt soon...For the next 10-20 years, Congress is not going to come to power here..." Mahajan said.
The Leader of the Opposition and other BJP MLAs on Wednesday morning met Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, a day after the party won the lone Rajya Sabha seat in the state. The meeting comes amid a buzz over the BJP bringing a motion of no-confidence in the assembly against the Congress government in the state. This comes a day after the BJP managed to pull off a victory for its candidate in the lone Rajya Sabha seat. The BJP's victory was due to cross-voting by Congress MLAs. The Congress has 40 lawmakers while the BJP has 25 in the 68-member state assembly, the Budget session of which begins today. The remaining three seats are held by independents.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge appointed senior leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda and D K Shivakumar to engage with the six MLAs, who voted in favour of the BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls in Himachal Pradesh. The six Congress lawmakers learnt to be "disappointed" with the working style of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and are seeking his replacement. The six MLAs had left Shimla for Haryana yesterday after casting their votes in the Rajya Sabha elections. Media reports suggest they are are in touch with the BJP, amid signs of a crisis engulfing the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh.
In a shocking debacle for the ruling Congress in Himachal Pradesh, the BJP secured the state's lone Rajya Sabha seat with its candidate Harsh Mahajan defeating Congress' Abhishek Manu Singhvi and setting the stage for a no-trust motion in the assembly.