Himachal Pradesh Govt In Trouble? BJP Demands Floor Test After Bagging Lone RS Seat

The Himachal Pradesh Opposition leader on Wednesday morning met Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, seeking a test of strength for the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government in the state Assembly after the BJP registered a stunning victory in the lone Rajya Sabha seat.

BJP's Harsh Mahajan defeated Congress stalwart Abhishek Manu Singhvi, thereby setting the stage for a no-trust motion in the assembly. The vote ended in a deadlock, as both the Congress and BJP contenders secured 34 votes each. This indicated that at least six Congress MLAs voted for the BJP candidate. Officials stated that the outcome was subsequently determined by drawing lots.

Responding to the latest development, Harsh Mahajan said, "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..."

In the 68-seat Himachal Pradesh Assembly, the Congress has 40 MLAs, while the BJP has 25 legislators. There are three independent candidates.

Prior to the formal declaration of the results, speculation had intensified that the BJP might table a motion of no confidence against Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's 14-month-old government.

Earlier, the CM had claimed that "five to six" Congress and independent MLAs had been "abducted" by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Haryana Police. However, the ruling party had deployed a helicopter to fly an MLA into Shimla so that he could vote.

An online video clip surfaced allegedly depicting several Himachal MLAs in approximately five cars outside a government guesthouse in BJP-ruled Haryana's Panchkula. This scene echoed the familiar "resort politics" tactic, where a political party secludes MLAs to prevent them from voting for the opposing side.

Meanwhile, the Congress' central leadership has flung into action to pacify the disgruntled leaders and tasked senior leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda and D K Shivakumar to talk with the six MLAs who reportedly expressed discontent with the working style ofSukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

Sources told Deccan Herald that former Haryana chief minister Hooda and Karnataka deputy chief minister Shivakumar are set to arrive in Shimla early Wednesday to assess the situation.