Amit Shah Mocks Congress After Himachal Rajya Sabha Loss

Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticized the Congress party following its defeat in the Rajya Sabha elections in Himachal Pradesh, asserting that the party is disintegrating and lacks control over its MLAs.

Following the Congress party's significant loss in the Rajya Sabha elections in Himachal Pradesh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah made remarks highlighting the party's disarray and lack of control over its members.

Congress Falling Apart

Shah's comments came after Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi's defeat to the BJP's Harsh Mahajan in the Rajya Sabha elections in Himachal Pradesh, which is governed by the Congress. The defeat was attributed to cross-voting by some ruling party MLAs.

Shah dismissed the notion of a special strategy employed by the BJP to secure victory for its candidates. He emphasized the disarray within the Congress party, stating, "Congress is falling apart. The whole alliance is falling apart. They cannot hold on to their own people. They are not treating their own people properly and as a result they are falling apart."

Kidnapping Allegations

In response to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's allegations that Congress MLAs were kidnapped, Shah questioned the feasibility of such an occurrence given that the election was conducted within the assembly premises.

"See the election was held inside the assembly premises. Assembly session is on. How can someone be kidnapped. What kind of childish statement is this. Is kidnapping possible nowadays from inside assembly?" he asked.

Voting Under Camera Surveillance

Shah highlighted that the Rajya Sabha polls were conducted under the watchful eye of cameras and in the presence of observers and the Congress candidate.

He criticized the Congress for diverting attention from the loss of votes and MLAs by raising allegations of kidnapping. "They are not talking about where the votes have gone. They are talking about MLAs kidnapping. Your votes have gone away, your MLAs have gone away and you have no knowledge what is happening,” he said.

Cross-Voting Leads to BJP Victory

Himachal Pradesh witnessed cross-voting that resulted in the victory of the BJP candidate. Harsh Mahajan was declared the winner through a draw of lots after both candidates were tied with 34 votes each.

The outcome revealed that six Congress MLAs and three Independents had voted in favor of the BJP. Currently, the Congress holds 40 seats, the BJP 25, and there are three Independents in the 68-member Himachal Pradesh assembly.