In a huge setback to the Congress, the BJP has managed to pull off a victory for its candidate in the lone Rajya Sabha seat in Himachal Pradesh despite having only 25 MLAs in the 68-member Assembly.
Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi lost to the BJP’s Harsh Mahajan as nine MLAs cross-voted in favour of the saffron party.
In the 68-member Assembly, the Congress had 40 MLAs and the backing of three Independents while the BJP only had 25 MLAs. However, due to cross voting, the former Congress leader who joined the BJP in 2022 defeated senior Congress leader Singhvi.
Fearing a split within the government in Himachal, the Congress has appointed senior leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Karnataka deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar as observers.
Himachal Pradesh is one of only three states that Congress rules on its own.
The Leader of the Opposition met Himachal Governor soon after the election demanding a division of votes for passing the state Budget instead of a voice vote. If allowed, the division of votes would establish the actual support of each party. Should the Congress government fail to get the Budget passed, it would automatically prove that it lacks a majority in the House.
Besides Himachal Pradesh, voting for Rajya Sabha seats took place for 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh and four seats in Karnataka.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday won eight out of ten Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh. The Opposition Samajwadi Party managed to win two seats from the state.
In Karnataka, the Congress on Tuesday won three seats and the Bharatiya Janata Party won a single seat.
