Uttar Pradesh: BJP wins beyond numbers, SP loses
Karnataka: Congress wins three seats, BJP bags one
Gourav Chandigarh/Shimla: Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday claimed that the Congress has lost the Rajya Sabha election and congratulated 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.
Earlier today, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu alleged that CRPF and Haryana Police convoy have taken away five to six Congress MLAs and urged the Himachal BJP leaders to have patience and not to threaten polling officers.”The manner in which the counting has begun and Opposition leaders are threatening the polling officers again and again is not right for democracy…They had halted the counting for long. I urge the Himachal BJP unit leaders to have patience, don’t put pressure on people…CRPF and Haryana Police convoy have taken away 5-6 MLAs,” CM Sukhu told reporters on Tuesday.
67 out of the total 68 legislators exercised their votes in the Rajya Sabha elections in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. Sudarshan Singh Babloo, Congress MLA, has not come so far due to illness. He was hospitalised. There was fierce competition in Himachal Pradesh for the sole Rajya Sabha seat between Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi and the BJP’s Harsh Mahajan. Notably, the Congress has a clear majority with 40 out of 68 MLAs and the support of three independent MLAs. Despite the fact that the BJP, with 25 MLAs, is far behind in the number game, it has forced a contest by fielding Mahajan against Singhvi. Earlier on Sunday, the Congress issued a whip to its MLAs to vote for party candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
Following the whip, all the candidates will have to show the ballot to the authorised agent, who can declare a vote invalid if any MLA refuses to show the ballot.Voting for 56 Rajya Sabha seats from 15 states, which are falling vacant in April, were being held on Tuesday. The term for Rajya Sabha MPs is six years, and elections are held after every two years for 33 per cent of the seats. Currently, the Rajya Sabha has a strength of 245 members.The Rajya Sabha MPs are elected by the MLAs in an indirect election through the system of proportional representation. They are mostly foregone conclusions, with elections being held unopposed and all party candidates sailing through. (ANI)
Himachal BJP leaders to meet Governor, demand floor test today
After the ruling Congress in Himachal Pradesh faced a humiliating defeat owing to crossvoting by six of its legislators for the lone Rajya Sabha seat, BJP leader and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur will meet Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on Wednesday morning to demand floor test in the ongoing Budget session against the government. As per the schedule of the Legislative Assembly, the Budget for 2024-25 is slated to be passed on Wednesday and during the session the BJP will demand voting, rather than voice vote on the floor of the House, as the Congress government is in “minority”.
After nine legislators, comprising six Congress and three Independents, the BJP strength in the House rose to 34, from 25. The ruling strength of legislators has reduced from 40 to 34, the half-way mark in the 68-member House. In the voting for the Rajya Sabha seat, both the Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi and BJP’s Harsh Mahajan had both received 34 votes each, however Mahajan won by draw of lots.
In a stunning upset, the six Congress MLAs who cross-voted were Sudhir Sharma (Dharamsala) and Rajinder Rana (Sujanpur), both ministerial aspirants; Inder Dutt Lakhanpal (Badsar); Ravi Thakur (Lahaul-Spiti); Chaitnaya Sharma (Gagret); and Devender Bhutto (Kutlehar). The three Independent MLAs too voted in favour of the BJP.
It is likely that at least four to five more Congress legislators will vote against Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu during the voting of the Budget passing as they are miffed over his confrontationist style and inability to take the legislators along with him.
