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In what can be termed as writing on the wall, the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government in Himachal Pradesh is in crisis.

In a high-voltage political drama, within just over one year of its rule, the Congress government witnessed BJP’s Harsh Mahajan defeating Congress nominee Abhishek Manu Singhvi in the Rajya Sabha poll for one seat today after the votes were tied.

The result was decided through a draw of lots after a tie of 34 votes due to cross-voting by six Congress MLAs and support by three Independent MLAs.

BJP has 25 MLAs in Himachal Pradesh and Congress 40. 

 

The Congress MLAs, who cross-voted are Sudhir Sharma (Dharamshala), Rajender Rana (Sujanpur), Inder Dutt Lakhanpal (Barsar), Bhutto ( Kutlehr), Chaitanya Sharma (Gagret) and Ravi Thakur (Lahaul Spiti).

Happening for the first time in the history of Himachal Pradesh, it was a photo finish to the day-long high-stakes political drama in Shimla. Chaos erupted in the Vidhan Sabha premises during the Rajya Sabha poll, as there were reports that the nine MLAs, including six Congress MLAs, who voted for BJP, had moved out of the state and were said to be in constant touch with BJP.

 

With this, the immediate threat to the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh now is the Finance Bill (2024-25), which is to be passed on 29 February in the state Legislative Assembly.

 

A party needs 35 MLAs in the 68-member Himachal Assembly for majority.

 

Sources within the Congress party said that ‘more than the government, at this moment, there is a clear crisis for CM Sukhu’, with whispers already having started in Congress about the demand for leadership change at the earliest if Congress government has to survive.

 

The BJP had strategically fielded former Congress minister, Harsh Mahajan for the Rajya Sabha seat on the last day of nomination on February 15.

 

Mahajan not only has great organising skills but has a good clout in the Congress party. He had switched to BJP just before the Assembly elections in 2022.

 

Sources said the BJP banked on the piling resentment against the Congress CM, Sukhu’s alleged autocratic functioning in his first term on the coveted chair and proceeded with a clear-cut calculation in the run-up to Rajya Sabha polls, which had left the Congress party worried.

 

The ruling Congress had even issued a whip to the party MLAs to vote in the Rajya Sabha poll, which has now proved a futile exercise.

 

The resentment among a section of Congress MLAs was quite open for many months now against their government, as some of them, owing allegiance to the camp previously headed by former Chief Minister, late Virbhadra Singh, totally felt left out in the formation of cabinet as well as general functioning of the government in Chief Minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s rule.

 

Vocal among them were Congress MLAs, Rajender Rana and former minister, Sudhir Sharma, who were not inducted in the cabinet despite their strong claim, and not only this, they were not being given precedence in constituency works as well.

 

Rana, a three-time MLA, was the one who brought the transition in BJP in the 2017 Assembly elections when he defeated the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate, Prem Kumar Dhumal (two times former CM) in Sujanpur.

 

Leader of Opposition, Jai Ram Thakur said the Congress government is in the minority and has no right to stay in power.

 

After the defeat, Chief Minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said it was unfortunate that six Congress MLAs have voted for the BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha poll. “They defeated BJP nominees in Assembly polls. Unhoney apna imaan hi bech diya, toh ab kya kahein,” he said. Sukhu said this was voting for the Rajya Sabha poll, but added that such a behaviour has never been seen in Himachal’s political culture.

 

When asked about BJP's remark that Congress is in the minority in the state now, he said, “There is nothing like this. We will see when the floor test happens,” the Chief Minister said. 

Central Congress leader, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who lost the Rajya Sabha poll, said some of the Congress MLAs, who voted for BJP, were in the Congress Legislature Party meeting last evening and had dinner there. He said some among these nine MLAs, who supported BJP had proposed his name on nomination papers, “It is all about luck,” he said.

 

While Sukhu called a meeting of MLAs late at night to discuss the critical situation, Jai Ram Thakur is likely to meet the Governor on 28 February, with the game of numbers not favouring the ruling Congress at the moment.