Speaker disqualifies six Cong MLAs who cross-voted for BJP in Himachal Pradesh

SHIMLA: The Speaker announced on Thursday that six MLAs in Himachal Pradesh who cross-voted for BJP in Rajya Sabha elections have been disqualified. The action was taken in accordance with the Prohibition of Defection Act. Other Congress MLAs have extended their support to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

BJP's Harsh Mahajan's victory over party candidate and national spokesperson Manu Abhishek Singhvi has put the Congress government in a crisis in Himachal. Manu Abhishek Singhvi was dealt a blow when six of the 40 Congress MLAs and three independents who supported the government voted for Harsh Mahajan. In this way, Singhvi and Harsh got 34 votes and the winner was announced by drawing lots. The nine people who cross-voted were shifted to Haryana by the BJP under the security of CRPF jawans.

After the disqualification, the six MLAs are reportedly seeking legal recourse. Disqualified MLAs are Sujanpur MLA Rajinder Rana, Dharamsala MLA Sudhir Sharma, Bursar MLA Indradutt Lakhanpal, Lahaul MLA Ravi Thakur, Gagret MLA Chaitanya Sharma and Kutlehar MLA Davinder Bhutto.