Himachal Congress rebels, independents flown back to Panchkula

The MLAs had left for Shimla from Tau Devi Lal Stadium on Wednesday morning in two helicopters after staying overnight in Panchkula

​ Amid the ongoing political crisis in Himachal Pradesh, six Congress rebels and three independent MLAs returned to Panchkula in the afternoon on Wednesday. The legislators had gone to Shimla on Wednesday morning.

Congress leader Rajinder Rana aririves at the assembly in Shimla on Wednesday. (Deepak Sasnta/HT)

The MLAs had left for Shimla from Tau Devi Lal Stadium on Wednesday morning in two helicopters after staying overnight in Panchkula.

The MLAs, however, returned on Wednesday afternoon in two helicopters and were escorted out of Panchkula. It has been learnt that they have been put up in a hotel at the IT Park, Chandigarh.

The nine MLAs reached Panchkula late evening on Tuesday amid tight security after they had cross-voted in favour of Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Harsh Mahajan in the voting for the lone Rajya Sabha seat that fell vacant in Himachal.

They had arrived in vehicles with HP registration numbers at the public works department’s rest house in Sector 1, Panchkula amid security. No one was allowed to enter the rest house after the vehicles of the legislators entered.

They stayed at the rest house on Tuesday for about 2 hours, before leaving for Sector 3, Panchkula where they were lodged in hotel Holiday Inn. The legislators stayed overnight at the hotel. According to sources, the MLAs were part of closed-door meeting with BJP’s Himachal Pradesh chief Rajeev Bindal late in the evening on Tuesday.

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s publicity adviser Tarun Bhandari held talks with all the MLAs before they took off for Shimla on Wednesday.

Talking to reporters, Bhandari said that all the MLAs had come from Shimla and stayed in Panchkula and later returned. He refused to disclose any additional information.