"Himachal Government In Minority Now": BJP Leader After Rajya Sabha Win

In a big setback for the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh, party's nominee for Rajya Sabha polls, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, lost the poll after which BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan who won the lone seat in the state said that the loss of the grand old party is the "failures" of the Sukhu government.

With both Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Harsh Mahajan and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi getting 34 votes each, the winner was decided through a draw of lots.

"This is not my victory but that of my party. This is the result of the failure of the Sukhu government. If the graph of the government falls so soon, it is unfortunate. Cross-voting was done because MLAs were verbal about being unhappy with the government...I think this is the victory of the common man and that of my party," Harsh Mahajan told news agency ANI on Tuesday.

He further asserted that the State government is in the minority right now, adding that the people in the state are unhappy with the government.

"The State government is in the minority right now. Fence-sitters in the government are ready to come to this side. They are unhappy with the government. They are so upset that they can do anything. This government won't go on, it will topple with its own weight,"

Meanwhile, the BJP legislature party met the Speaker and demanded division of votes.

The BJP and Himachal Pradesh Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

"I can say that an atmosphere is prevailing in the country where everyone is quitting the Congress. I thank all BJP MLAs, Congress MLAs who helped us, and Independent MLAs as well," LoP told reporters.

He further said that for the MLAs, the credit goes to the BJP leadership and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"We are rightly saying that looking at this victory, the Himachal Pradesh CM should resign from his position...The MLAs have left him just within a year," he added.

BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan, who was pitted against Congress stalwart Abhishek Manu Singhvi, called the win "the victory of the BJP, Narendra Modi, and Amit Shah".

In a big setback for the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh, the party's nominee for Rajya Sabha polls, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, lost the poll as "nine MLAs including six from the party cross-voted".

Mr Singhvi addressed a press conference later and conceded defeat while noting that the MLAs who had cross-voted had taught him "a lot about human nature, its fickleness".

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who was present at the press conference, accused the MLAs who had cross-voted of having "sold their honesty". Answering queries, he expressed confidence in the party's ability to overcome any challenge to its majority in the assembly.

Congratulating his rival candidate Harsh Mahajan for the victory in Rajya Sabha polls, Singhvi took a dig at BJP for fielding a candidate for Rajya Sabha polls when the party did not have a majority in the assembly. BJP has 25 members in the state assembly.

"First of all, I extend heartiest congratulations to Harsh Mahajan (BJP candidate), he has won. He deserves my congratulations. I would like to tell his party introspect and think. When a 25-member party fields a candidate against a 43-member party, there is just one message: we will shamelessly do that which is not permitted by the law," Mr Singhvi said.

He said those who had cross-voted were with them for dinner yesterday, and some of them for the breakfast in the morning.

"I would also like to thank the nine persons (MLAs) because they have taught me a lot about human nature, its fickleness, or its resoluteness. They supped with us...So, I think we are bad judges of human character, they are obviously better judges of human character," he said.

Mr Sukhu said of the nine who had cross-voted, three were independent MLAs.

"When someone has sold out their honesty...Nine cross-votings took place, three of them were Independent MLAs but six others sold their honesty...and voted against him (Abhishek Singhvi)," he said.

Asked about speculations of the BJP bringing a No Confidence Motion against him, Sukhu said majority will be decided on the floor of the assembly.

"Who have gone (cross-voted) are being asked by their families why they did this. So, if the families are asking them, then maybe a few of them would think about 'ghar wapasi'," he said.

He said other Congress MLAs had "also been contacted" but they stayed firm.

Earlier, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jai Ram Thakur said that the Congress has lost the Rajya Sabha election and congratulated the party's candidate, Harsh Mahajan for winning the polls.

"Despite having such a huge majority, Congress lost the Rajya Sabha seat...I congratulate Harsh Mahajan once again," Himachal Pradesh LoP and former Himachal chief minister Jai Ram Thakur told reporters.

Sixty-seven of the total 68 legislators exercised their votes in the Rajya Sabha election in Shimla.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)