The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has put forth all six disqualified MLAs, formerly of the Congress, as candidates in the upcoming by-polls for the Himachal Pradesh assembly. The six disqualified ex-Congress legislators, joined by three Independents who relinquished their seats, officially joined the BJP in New Delhi on Saturday.
Sudhir Sharma, Ravi Thakur, Rajinder Rana, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Chetanya Sharma, and Devinder Kumar Bhutto, the disqualified MLAs, aligned with the BJP in the presence of prominent figures including Union Minister and Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur, former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, national general secretary Arun Singh, and state unit president Rajeev Bindal.
Sudhir Sharma is contesting from Dharamshala, Ravi Thakur from Lahaul & Spiti, Rajinder Rana from Sujanpur, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal from Barsar, Chaitanya Sharma from Gagret, and Devinder Kumar Bhutto from Kutlehar.
The by-polls for these six seats are scheduled for June 1, coinciding with the seventh phase of general elections where four Lok Sabha constituencies of the hill states will vote.
Their disqualification on February 29 followed their defiance of the Congress party’s whip to attend the House and vote in favor of the state government during a cut motion and budget. BJP leaders emphasized various state development initiatives by the Central government, including highway and rail projects, asserting that the former MLAs opted to reinforce Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
Jai Ram Thakur hailed the entry of the six former Congress MLAs into the BJP as a significant political development for the state, noting their past senior roles within the party.
Previously, the Congress government faced turmoil after the BJP secured victory in the Rajya Sabha election for the state’s lone seat with the backing of the nine MLAs. While Sukhu, the Congress leader, remains resolute, the BJP aims to weaken his government through bypoll victories, potentially attracting more legislators from the ruling party.
Following the disqualification of the six Congress MLAs, the ruling party’s strength in the 62-member assembly decreased from 39 to 33, with an original strength of 68. The BJP holds 25 seats, while the Speaker, who can vote in case of a tie during a floor test, is affiliated with the Congress.
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