The Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Thursday passed the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly (Allowances and Pension of Members) Amendment Bill, 2026, to debar those members who are elected to the 14th Assembly or thereafter and are disqualified under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India from receiving pension benefits.
The Bill, aimed at discouraging defection by legislative assembly members, invited sharp criticism from BJP MLAs, who alleged that the government had introduced it with political vendetta in mind.
Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said the government had brought the Bill with a targeted approach to snatch pension benefits from MLAs who were disqualified and later lost the by-elections. He said two MLAs would be affected by this provision. Jai Ram Thakur said the government should do it prospectively, not retrospectively.
BJP MLA Randhir Sharma said even if passed, the Bill may not stand legal scrutiny.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan said the BJP was opposing the Bill because it did not want to discourage defection.
Replying to the debate, the Chief Minister said everyone saw the “drama of defection” when six Congress MLAs voted against their own party in the Rajya Sabha polls and later defied the party whip during the passage of the Budget in the Assembly. He said the Bill aims to discourage elected representatives from defecting. He said the Bill is prospective in nature as it applies to the present 14th Assembly and thereafter. The Bill was later passed by voice vote.
The state Assembly also passed the Himachal Pradesh State Farmers’ Commission Bill, 2026, aimed at strengthening the agriculture sector. The Commission will have a Chairperson and not more than three non-official members. Vice Chancellors of Agriculture and Horticulture Universities, Director Animal Husbandry, Director Horticulture, and Director Fisheries will serve as ex-officio members, while the Director Agriculture will act as Member Secretary.
The session was later adjourned sine die by Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania.
The Budget session of the HP Assembly, which started in February and was adjourned after three days with discussion on discontinuation of the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG) on the centre stage, had resumed on March 18. The Chief Minister presented the 2026–27 Budget proposing salary cuts for ministers, MLAs, bureaucrats, and Category A and B officers/employees in different slabs.
He also mentioned that the state was losing nearly Rs 10,000 crore annually due to the discontinuation of the RDG by the 16th Finance Commission.
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