Himachal Pradesh: 6 ex-Congress MLAs, 3 Independents join BJP
In a major political shift in Himachal Pradesh, six former Congress MLAs and three Independent legislators formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday. The induction ceremony was held in Delhi and was graced by Union Minister Anurag Thakur and former Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur. Welcoming the new joiners, Thakur emphasized that their inclusion would bolster the BJP's strength ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Why does this story matter?
The six MLAs cross-voted during the Rajya Sabha election on February 27 last month, triggering a political crisis in Himachal Pradesh. Their disqualification came on February 29 after they failed to comply with the grand old party's directive that mandated their attendance in the House and support for the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government. After the disqualification of the six MLAs, the total strength of the House has come down from 68 to 62.
Know about disqualified Congress MLAs who joined BJP
The six Congress MLAs who were disqualified and have now joined the BJP are Sudhir Sharma, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Ravi Thakur, Chetanya Sharma, Rajinder Rana, and Devinder Kumar Bhutto. Criticizing the Congress-led Himachal government for not fulfilling its commitments, Thakur claimed it resulted in widespread discontent among the people. He also argued that the support extended by these leaders to the saffron party during the Rajya Sabha poll reflected the prevailing "public anger" against the grand old party.
Who are the 3 Independent legislators
The three Independent MLAs are Ashish Sharma from Hamirpur, Hoshiyar Singh from Dehra, and KL Thakur from Nalagarh. They had relinquished their assembly seats on Friday to join the saffron party. "All three of us are joining the BJP. We had supported Congress earlier but were not accorded due respect," stated Singh. According to reports, these leaders handed over their resignation letters to Vidhan Sabha secretary Yashpal Sharma in Shimla.
Visuals of new BJP additions
BJP's recent power display in Himachal
After the resignation of the three Independent MLAs, the total count of legislators in the 68-member House decreased to 59. The Congress presently has 34 members, while the BJP has 25. The Congress government was thrown into disarray last month after the BJP won the Rajya Sabha election for the state's lone seat with the support of these nine MLAs. The BJP is now looking to bring down Sukhu's regime through by-poll victories, with the hope of attracting more legislators.