Will Serve People "For Full Term": Himachal Chief Minister Amid Turmoil In State

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, caught in the middle of a massive political storm with the BJP's move to demand a test of strength in the Assembly, asserted that the Congress has the numbers and will complete its five-year term.

The BJP, which pulled off a surprise victory in the lone Rajya Sabha seat of the hill state yesterday, had escalated their attack today, emboldened by the cross-voting by six Congress MLAs and three Independents. Within months of elections, the state  Congress has been struggling to contain factionalism. 

Many have blamed Mr Sukhu for failing to keep his flock together. Himachal is only state the Congress rules in north India.

Asked about the matter, Mr Sukhu cited unmet political aspirations and bribery.

"Some of the MNLAs had political ambition. But that cannot be met. You cannot meet everyone's political aspirations... Some people were bribed," he told NDTV in an exclusive interview.

The numbers, he added, were still with the Congress.

"The Congress still has 34 MLAs. The BJP has 25. So who has the majority? So what kind of majority are they talking about? We have not expelled the rebels. There were six of them, plus three Independents. Why didn't they come for the budget?" he said.

While the Congress had won 40 of the state's 68 seats, the numbers got blurred yesterday with six Congress MLAs voting for the BJP candidate. The BJP also had the support of three Independents, which, many in the party are confident will support them in case a floor test is forced.

The numbers got scrambled again this morning as the Assembly Speaker expelled 15 BJP MLAs for sloganeering and alleged misconduct, bringing the effective strength of the House to 53. The majority mark dropped to 27 – within easy reach of the Congress.

Earlier today, the Chief Minister had rubbished talk of his resignation. "Neither (has) anyone asked for my resignation nor have I presented my resignation to anyone. We will prove our majority. We will win..." he had said.