Defections Shake Himachal Pradesh Poll Landscape, Says Sukhu

Congress in Himachal Pradesh is facing elections to preserve democracy, says CM Sukhu. Six disqualified Congress MLAs who joined BJP are a significant issue. The MLAs supported a BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls, leading to their disqualification. The CM emphasizes the importance of voting for the Congress to protect democracy. He highlights the issue of using money to buy votes and the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and assembly by-elections. Candidates for Hamirpur, Kangra, and six assembly constituencies will be announced shortly.

The Congress is contesting elections to save democracy in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Monday, stressing that the defection by its six MLAs will be a major issue in the polls.

Six Congress rebels, who were later disqualified and are now contesting on BJP ticket in the assembly bypolls, and three independents had voted in favour of the BJP nominee Harsh Mahajan in the Rajya Sabha elections held on February 27.

''Elections are being held, it is a festival of democracy and in Himachal Pradesh, we are contesting elections to save democracy. We are appealing to the general public why the leaders they elected for five years voted in favour of the BJP candidate in Rajya Sabha polls in 14 months and then got disqualified,'' Suku told the PTI in Kangra district.

The six Congress MLAs -- Rajinder Rana (Sujanpur), Sudhir Sharma (Dharamshala), Ravi Thakur (Lahaul and Spiti), Inder Dutt Lakhanpal (Barsar), Chetanya Sharma (Gagret) and Devinder Kumar Bhutto (Kutlehar) -- were disqualified for defying a party whip to be present in Vidhan Sabha and vote in favour of the government during the passage of budget.

''It seems that in democracy when leaders are not elected by vote of the people, they want to snatch the chair by note (use of money) and it will be an issue in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and assembly by-elections,'' he added.

''We would tell the people to give a befitting reply to the BJP for stealing one Rajya Sabha seat by strengthening the democracy through their vote for the Congress in all the four Lok Sabha seats,'' the CM said.

He said that the names of candidates from Hamirpur and Kangra parliament seats and six assembly constituencies where bypolls are being held would be announced soon.

The Congress has so far named Vikramaditya Singh (public works minister who is also the sitting MLA from Shimla (Rural) assembly seat) from Mandi parliament seat and sitting MLA from Kasauli Vinod Sultanpuri from Shimla Lok Sabha seat.

Elections to four Lok Sabha seats and six assembly by-polls will be held on June 1.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)