Kuldeep Singh Pathania, the Speaker of Himachal Pradesh, has declared all 6 rebel MLAs ineligible after their rebellion in the Rajya Sabha elections. He stated that complaints against the honorables were received through Minister Harsh Vardhan. After hearing both sides, he delivered his verdict.
Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania mentioned, 'The MLAs fought the election under Congress but violated the party's whip and did not vote for the designated candidate. After a full review of the case, I've listened to all parties comprehensively and pronounced my final decision.'
The disqualified MLAs are Sudhir Sharma, Ravi Thakur, Rajender Singh Rana, Chaitanya Sharma, Devender Bhutto, and Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, who all defied the party whip.
What's next for Himachal?
With the Congress having 40 members in the 68-member Himachal Pradesh Assembly, their numbers have now slipped from 40 to 34, one short of the majority figure after 6 MLAs engaged in cross-voting. The assembly's strength is now down to 62, making the new majority mark 32. The BJP holds 25 seats in the state, and three independents are also allied with them. The recent absences of four Congress MLAs at a CM-hosted breakfast add to the ongoing political tension despite the Speaker's decision.
A single Rajya Sabha seat was contested in Himachal Pradesh, requiring 35 votes for victory. The expected conquest for Congress seemed certain with their 40 MLAs against BJP's 25. Despite the number deficit, the BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan was nominated. The election outcome became a tie with 34 votes each, resolved by a lucky draw that favored BJP's Harsh Mahajan.
