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NATION MARCH 08, 2024 | The Indian Eye 8

RAJYA SABHA POLLS

How the BJP gained with major

cross-voting and rocked the Congress

Govt in Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania disqualifies the six

Congress MLAs who cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha polls

OUR BUREAU mark is 32. With the loss of 6 MLAs
the Congress now has 34 MLAs and
New Delhi/Shimla
the BJP, with independents, has 28.
eating all expectations, the The fortunes of the Congress will
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) now rest on its ability to keep the rest
Bwon 30 seats, including 20 un- of its flock together.
opposed out of 56 Rajya Sabha seats The BJP has claimed the Con-
for which the elections were held on gress has lost the moral standing to
Tuesday. The numbers will take the be in power after losing majority in
BJP’s tally in Rajya Sabha to 97 and the Assembly. Himachal Pradesh
that of BJP-led NDA to 117, just four Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh
short of the majority mark of 121 in Pathania disqualified the six Con-
the 240-member House once all 56 gress MLAs who cross-voted in the
members are sworn in Rajya Sabha polls.
Of 56 Rajya Sabha seats that Himachal Pradesh Assembly
fall vacant in April, BJP won 30; 20 Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania
unopposed and 10 in elections held said, “Six MLAs, who contested
Tuesday. The Rajya Sabha polls for on the Congress symbol, attracted
15 seats across three states were Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu presides over a cabinet meeting with Congress provisions of the anti-defection law
marked by cross-voting, with the BJP against themselves...I declare that
winning 10 seats, the Congress three MLAs, in Shimla on Thursday. (ANI Photo) the six people cease to be members
and the Samajwadi Party two seats. of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly
Last week, as many as 41 candi- Tuesday evening, the BJP remained posed in the Rajya Sabha elections... with immediate effect.”
dates were declared winners as there the single-largest party in RS with 97 Congress has lost its opportunity,” The beleaguered Congress gov-
were no other candidates in the fray members (including five nominated Rajeev Bindal said, adding, “Morally, ernment in Himachal Pradesh got a
on those seats. The BJP was the main members who joined the party) fol- they have no right to stay in power.” bit of reprieve on Wednesday after
gainer, having won an additional seat lowed by Congress with 29 members, In a stunning upset for the Con- former Chief Minister Virbhadra
in Uttar Pradesh and bagging one in Trinamool Congress with 13, DMK gress, on Tuesday, the ruling Con- Singh’s son Vikramaditya Singh, who
Himachal Pradesh. and AAP with 10 each, BJD and YS- gress’s Abhishek Manu Singhvi lost had tendered his resignation as min-
Heading into polling day, the RCP with nine each, BRS with sev- the Rajya Sabha election to the BJP’s ister, agreed not to press its accep-
ruling NDA had 109 MPs in the en, RJD with six, CPM with five, and Harsh Mahajan despite the Congress tance following intervention of party
Upper House, 10 members short of AIADMK and JD(U) with four each. enjoying a comfortable majority in observers sent to the hill state to deal
the halfway mark in the 238 mem- The NDA, with 117 members, is the state assembly. with the crisis and Chief Minister
ber Rajya Sabha. The Opposition now only four short of the majority Both candidates secured 34 Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu sought to
INDIA bloc had 89 MPs. During the mark of 121 votes each in the 68-member state defuse the tension saying “we believe
biennial polls, Uttar Pradesh had the Now, Himachal Pradesh Bhara- assembly. Victory tilted towards Ma- in forgiveness, not revenge.”
highest number of seats going to vote tiya Janata Party (BJP) president hajan after a draw of lots was held as The crisis, which hit the Con-
(10), followed by Maharashtra and Rajeev Bindal said on Thursday that a tie-breaker. gress government on Tuesday during
Bihar (6 each), Madhya Pradesh and the Congress has no right to stay in After the 2022 Assembly elec- Rajya Sabha polls as six party MLAs
West Bengal (5 each), Karnataka and power after the party lost the Rajya tions, the Congress had 40 MLAs, cross-voted in favor of BJP, escalated
Gujarat (4 each), Odisha, Telangana, Sabha election despite having a ma- while the BJP had 25 in the 68-mem- on Wednesday with PWD Minister
Andhra Pradesh, and Rajasthan (3 jority in the state assembly. “Our ex- ber state assembly. The remaining Vikramaditya Singh tendering his
each), and Uttarakhand, Himachal perts analyze the situation and after three seats are held by independents. resignation. The Congress govern-
Pradesh, Haryana, and Chhattisgarh looking at their judgements, we will With the six rebel MLAs disquali- ment also faced trouble in the state
(1 each). take a decision. It is too early to say fied, the strength of the house comes assembly as 15 BJP MLAs including
However, after the results out on anything. Congress was totally ex- down from 68 to 62, and the halfway Jairam Thakur were suspended.

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