Explained: What Is Happening In Himachal Pradesh

With the Rajya Sabha cross-voting and the following defeat of the Congress candidate despite having a majority in the assembly in Himachal Pradesh, the state is witnessing political uncertainties and legislator defections. After the failure in the Rajya Sabha election despite having the majority, the chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu accused the BJP of kidnapping its MLAs by police and CRPF.

However, the blow to the Congress government did not end there as the state minister Vikramaditya Singh stepped down from his position earlier today, a day after the cross voting took place, fuelling concerns over the stability of the Mr Sukhu’s government. With the MLAs cross-voting and the minister’s resignation, the state BJP leadership had begun pressing for a no-confidence motion against the Congress government.

Vikramaditya Singh, son of former CM Virbhadra Singh chose to declare his resignation after the Rajya Sabha election result, reportedly to push the Sukhu government to the brink of collapse.

However, the Congress general secretary in charge of communication Jairam Ramesh today said that the party will fix the issue and the steps to save the government would also be taken. He further said that the party will not shy away from making harsh decisions, noting that the party is supreme over individuals. To meet the party members, Congress sent former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar to Shimla.

Amid reports of the chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s resignation, Mr Sukhu said that he has not decided to resign and expressed his hope that the government would secure a majority. He also informed that some of the MLAs sought forgiveness for cross-voting. The chief minister also said that the Conspiracy to topple the government had been foiled. All the six Congress MLAs who voted for BJP returned to the Assembly today, with the BJP members receiving them with slogans and praises

The Assembly Speaker suspended 15 BJP MLAs alleging misconduct and creating a ruckus in the assembly. After suspending BJP MLAs, the assembly passed the budget, with the opposition walking out. The BJP MLAs accused that the 15 of Its MLAs would have voted against the budget while saying that the Congress government would not survive.

However, Vikramaditya Singh who stepped down as minister denied claims of joining the BJP and the chief minister said that there is no question of accepting Mr Singh’s resignation terming him his brother. The Congress has issued show cause notice to the MLAs who did cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha election.

However, the chief minister has stated that his government would rule for five years, noting that the government is safe while dismissing dangers. Mr Vikramaditya Singh has reportedly withdrew his resignation as per the latest reports. The political crisis marks the third such incident in the opposition-led state within a month.