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Congress has no moral right to stay in power: Himachal BJP chief

Bindal emphasised that the BJP is currently evaluating the political landscape and will make decisions based on expert analysis. He asserted that the Congress’ loss in the RS election has exposed its vulnerability, stating, “Morally, they have no right to stay in power.”

Published on: Feb 29, 2024, 22:36:36 IST
By , Shimla
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Himachal Pradesh BJP president Rajeev Bindal on Thursday said the Congress has forfeited its moral authority to govern after its recent defeat in the Rajya Sabha election, despite holding a majority in the state assembly.

Himachal Pradesh BJP president Rajeev Bindal (HT photo)
Himachal Pradesh BJP president Rajeev Bindal (HT photo)

Bindal emphasised that the BJP is currently evaluating the political landscape and will make decisions based on expert analysis. He asserted that the Congress’ loss in the RS election has exposed its vulnerability, stating, “Morally, they have no right to stay in power.”

The statement from Bindal comes after Himachal Pradesh assembly speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania disqualified six Congress MLAs who had cross-voted in the RS election, leading to the victory of BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan over Congress nominee Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

The disqualified MLAs include Sudhir Sharma, Rajinder Rana, Davinder K Bhutto, Ravi Thakur, Chaitanya Sharma, and Inder Dutt Lakhanpal.

Singhvi lost despite the Congress holding a comfortable majority in the assembly, with both candidates securing 34 votes each of the 68-member assembly. Mahajan emerged victorious after a tie-breaker was settled through a draw of lots.

Following the 2022 assembly elections, the Congress held 40 seats, while the BJP had 25 in the 68-member state assembly, with the remaining three seats occupied by independents.

With the disqualification of the six rebel MLAs, the strength of the House has diminished to 62, with the halfway mark now set at 32. As a result of the disqualification, the Congress now holds 34 MLAs, while the BJP, along with independents, holds 28.