Nine former Himachal Pradesh MLAs, comprising six disqualified Congress lawmakers and three Independents who resigned, have now aligned with the BJP amidst the ongoing political turbulence in the hill state. Despite the recent Supreme Court decision declining to halt the disqualification of the six Congress legislators, the matter remains scheduled for further review on May 6.
While the current composition suggests no immediate jeopardy to the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress administration, the BJP’s strategic maneuver aims at undermining the Sukhu regime, particularly by targeting the six impending bye-elections alongside the Lok Sabha polls on June 1. The ex-Congress MLAs officially joined the BJP in a ceremony attended by prominent figures like I&B Minister Anurag Thakur, former CM Jai Ram Thakur, and state party chief Rajeev Bindal.
The disqualification of the six Congress MLAs on February 29 stemmed from their defiance of the party whip, which demanded their presence in the House and voting alignment with the government during crucial legislative proceedings. Notable among those transitioning to the BJP are Sudhir Sharma, Ravi Thakur, Rajinder Rana, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Chetanya Sharma, and Devinder Kumar Bhutto, alongside the three Independent lawmakers, Ashish Sharma, Hoshiyar Singh, and KL Thakur. Anurag Thakur criticized the Congress government’s failure to fulfill its commitments, citing growing public discontent as a primary motivation behind the defections.
Following the departure of six MLAs and three Independents, the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly’s composition stands at 59 members, with the Congress holding 33 seats and the BJP 25.
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