After Rajya Sabha steal, BJP gears up to vote out Congress govt in Himachal Pradesh

A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed to upstage Congress to win the sole Rajya Sabha (Upper House) seat in Himachal Pradesh, the party has now sought a no-trust vote in the state assembly. The Leader of the OppositionJairam Thakur, alongside other BJP MLAs, met the Himachal Pradesh governor, early on Wednesday and sought a test of strength for theSukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government.

"We have pulled off a victory when our chances seemed very low. BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan won the Rajya Sabha elections. Currently, the Congress government has lost the moral right to stay in power," said Thakur after meeting Governor Shiv Pratak Shukla.

However, hours later, Thakur alongside his 14 aides was expelled from the assemblyfor allegedly shouting slogans and misconduct in the Chamber of the Speaker.

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Thakur had been demanding a division of votes for passing the state budget, scheduled to be presented in the state assembly later in the day, instead of a voice vote.

According to experts, if the BJP's request is allowed, the division of votes would establish the actual support of each party. If Congress fails to get the budget passed, it wouldautomatically prove that it lacks a majority in the House. However, after the expulsion of 15 BJP leaders, the permutations and combinations regarding the budget vote have changed.

The equations changed yet again for Congress when MLA Vikramaditya Singh, son of former CM Virbhadra Singh announced his resignation from the council of ministers, alleging that the Sukhu-government had humiliated its own MLAs several times. His resignation has stoked fears that other MLAs might be looking to bow out of the Congress party.

"The man who lived for Himachal Virbhadra Singh was humiliated. Is this how much they respect my father?" saidSukhu.

After Singh's departure, Congress has 39 MLAs left while BJP has 26 MLAs in the 68-seat assembly.

Watch |India: BJP's big win in Rajya Sabha; bags eight seats in Uttar Pradesh, one in HP & Karnataka

What did Sukhu say?

After cross-voting resulted in Congress losing its advantage and senior leader Abhishek Singhvi conceding defeat, a dejected Sukhu blamed his party men for being sell-outs.

"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 Manu Singhvi),"said Sukhu.

"There is a government and an opposition in a democracy but the kind of hooliganism ('gundagardi') being done by the opposition will never be accepted by the people of Himachal," he added.

To arrest the slide in the state, Congress' upper hierarchy deployedsenior leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda and DK Shivakumar. Both have been appointed as observers to ensure that Congress does not lose power, mere months ahead of the general elections.

Media reports on Wednesday claimed that Sukhu had tendered his resignation following the events of the last 24 hours. However, he came out with a statement saying he was a "warrior" and that Congress will complete its five-years term in office.

(With inputs from agencies)