Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday said stern steps will be taken if necessary as the party is not denying the cross-voting that took place in the Rajya Sabha election in Himachal Pradesh. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge asked the three observers to speak to all with an open mind and do whatever is needed to make sure that the Congress completes the term given by the voters in 2022 December, Jairam Ramesh said. The observers will submit its report which will have two parts: one, the accountability behind the cross-voting, and second, the future course of action for the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh.
Bhupesh Baghel, DK Shivakumar and Bhupinder Hooda have been sent to Shimla as observers to look into the situation and give their report amid speculations over the Congress government collapsing in the hill state.
Himachal Pradesh political crisis: Follow LIVE updates
Six Congress MLAs voted for the BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha election in an unexpected threat to the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government. BJP's Harsh Mahajan defeated Congress's Abhishek Manu Singhvi in the Rajya Sabha election and the crisis deepened in the state with the possibility of a trust vote.
Congress to speak to disgruntled Vikramaditya Singh
A day after the cross-voting state minister Vikramaditya Singh, son of Virbhadra Singh and Pratibha Singh, announced his resignation from the party. Jairam Ramesh said one MLA said he is not with the party, and the observers will speak to him as well. "Congress got the mandate...not he," Jairam said reiterating that the party is above the individual.
Vikramaditya said he was deeply hurt because the party did not honour his father though fought the 2022 election and won it in the name of his father. "There was no poster, or hoarding or banner which did not carry his picture. There was a full-page ad with his picture in the newspapers a day before voting. But after victory when the matter of his statue came, the government failed to decide the location," Vikramaditya Singh said.
{{/usCountry}}Vikramaditya said he was deeply hurt because the party did not honour his father though fought the 2022 election and won it in the name of his father. "There was no poster, or hoarding or banner which did not carry his picture. There was a full-page ad with his picture in the newspapers a day before voting. But after victory when the matter of his statue came, the government failed to decide the location," Vikramaditya Singh said.
{{/usCountry}}Vikramaditya Singh dismissed speculations that he would be joining the BJP while Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said he has not resigned and neither has anyone asked for his resignation.