The whispers of rebellion within the Congress government of Himachal Pradesh are growing louder in Uttarakhand as six defiant MLAs have landed in Rishikesh. Accompanying them are three independents and two BJP legislators. Prior to this, the rebel Congress members were based out of Lalit Hotel in Chandigarh. The legislators are now being accommodated in a private hotel in Rishikesh. Notably, Congress defectors Indrdutt Lakhanpal, Sudhir Sharma, Rajendra Rana, Ravi Thakur, Chaitanya Sharma, and Devendra Bhutto crossed party lines to vote in favor of BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan in the recent Rajya Sabha elections, causing the Congress nominee Abhishek Manu Singhvi to face defeat.
The ruling Congress approached to disqualify these rebel MLAs, stating they had disobeyed the party whip by abstaining from the vote on the Finance Bill during the budget session. Following a recommendation from the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly has declared all the rebel MLAs disqualified. These legislators have now challenged the Speaker's decision in the Supreme Court, with the hearing set for March 11th. They've declared the decision unconstitutional in their petition and demand its revocation.
In the meantime, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has initiated damage control to appease the Pratibha Singh faction. Vikramaditya Singh, son of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, resigned from Chief Minister Sukhu's cabinet on February 28th, citing neglect. Chief Minister Sukhu has now elevated Nand Lal, MLA of Rampur Bushahr, and Bhawani Singh Pathania, MLA of Fatehpur, to cabinet rank positions. Nand Lal has been appointed as the President of the Himachal Pradesh State Finance Commission, and Bhawani Singh Pathania as the Vice Chairperson of the State Planning Board, while 16 advocates have been named Additional Advocate Generals and Deputy Advocate Generals.
Meanwhile, Vikramaditya Singh has yet to hint at his next move, but has made it clear that he has not withdrawn his resignation due to unresolved issues. The Sukhu camp fears if Vikramaditya leaves the party, the Pratibha Singh faction, including Mohan Lal Brakta, Nand Lal, and Harish Janartha, might see at least three to four legislators walking away. Moreover, with six MLAs already in dispute and the Supreme Court’s impending verdict on their disqualification, difficulties could mount for the Sukhu government.
