Himachal Crisis — Disqualified Congress MLA Says Looking For ‘New Home’

Disqualified Congress MLA Rajinder Singh Rana said on Thursday that all six MLAs who cross-voted in Himachal Pradesh’s Rajya Sabha elections earlier this week are meeting to discuss their next steps. Earlier that day, State Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania disqualified all six rebel Congress MLAs.

The development came after the six MLAs from the grand old party cross-voted during the Rajya Sabha poll for the lone seat in the hill state on Tuesday.  

It is worth noting that the memberships of all six Congress MLAs have also been cancelled.

Rana informed ABP News that he had been “illegally disqualified”. When asked about Tuesday’s cross-voting incident, Rana responded, “As Himachalis, we voted for a Himachali leader”.

Rana went on to say, “We are all sitting together to discuss this issue and will decide how to proceed with the disqualification. He claimed that we were being insulted in the party and that this had been brought to the attention of the high command several times but to no avail.

Disqualified Congress MLA stated, “When someone is insulted in his own home, he looks for a new home. When asked directly, is BJP the “new home”? Rana told ABP News, “We’ll see later, but when there’s an insult, a new home is to be found.”

It is to be noted that Rajinder Rana has a stronghold in the Sujanpur assembly constituency. It is being told that Rajinder Rana is leading the rebel MLAs. Let us tell you that during the Rajya Sabha elections in Himachal, 6 Congress MLAs spoiled the equation of Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu government by cross-voting. After this incident, there is a stir in the politics of the state.

Apart from Rajinder Rana, the list of other disqualified leaders includes Sudhir Sharma, Inder Lakhanpal, Devinder Kumar, Ravi Thakur, and Chetanya Sharma.

Harsh Wardhan Chauhan, Congress MLA and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, had filed the petition under the anti-defection law. On February 27, these six MLAs, along with three independents, crossed the floor to support BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan in his bid for a Rajya Sabha seat from the hill state. Later, it pushed the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government to the brink.

Congress is in power in Himachal Pradesh, with 40 MLAs and the support of three independent MLAs in the 68-member house prior to the Rajya Sabha elections. Despite the numbers, Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi lost his Rajya Sabha seat. The results were tied, with 34 votes each. Harsh Mahajan was declared the winner after a drawing of lots, exacerbating Congress woes in the hill state as the Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government considers the possibility of the Congress government collapsing.