Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, who was sent as one of the Congress’ observers to Himachal Pradesh amid the political turmoil, on Thursday said that Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has accepted that some sort of failure happened within the government and MLAs during the Rajya Sabha polls and a coordination committee between the party and the government with five to six members has been formed to tackle the situation.
Read here: ‘So-called Chanakya failed’: Congress’ Jairam Ramesh taunts PM Modi on Himachal crisis
While speaking to the reporters, Shivakumar said that the observers have spoken to the party MLAs individually and another round of discussion will happen later. He also mentioned that the government is safe and will complete the five-year term.
“Our CM accepted that some failure has happened. But it will not continue further. We have spoken to all the MLAs personally. We have spoken to the PCC president, CM. One round of discussion will happen later. So all of them have sorted out all their differences. They’ll work together… We are forming a coordination committee between the party and the government with five to six members….They will all work together to save the party and save the government,” Shivakumar said.
The political turmoil unfolded in Himachal Pradesh when the BJP claimed that the Sukhu-led government was in minority after the former won the state’s lone Rajya Sabha seat defeating Congress in an election marred with cross-voting.
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However, Sukhu affirmed that his government was in the majority and would complete its five-year term. Congress had deputed Bhupesh Baghel, DK Shivakumar and Bhupinder Hooda as observers to speak to the party MLAs and then submit a report to president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Congress MLA Vikramaditya Singh, who resigned and then withdrew his resignation, continues to keep the Congress top brass guessing. Singh maintained that he would not press the issue of his resignation but he stayed away from a breakfast meeting called by Sukhu.
Read here: Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu’s future in question as Congress battles to save Himachal government
Earlier today, Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania disqualified the six Congress MLAs who cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha polls saying “Six MLAs, who contested on Congress symbol, attracted provisions of anti-defection law against themselves…I declare that the six people cease to be members of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly with immediate effect.”
The six MLAs disqualified are Sudhir Sharma, Rajinder Rana, Davinder K Bhutto, Ravi Thakur, Chaitanya Sharma and Inder Dutt Lakhanpal.
After the 2022 Assembly elections, the Congress had 40 MLAs, while the BJP had 25 in the 68-member state assembly. The remaining three seats are held by independents.
Aisha Patel is a dedicated Indian correspondent with a deep understanding of the nation’s diverse affairs. With a background in Indian culture, politics, and current events, she provides in-depth analysis and timely reporting on domestic issues within India.
