6 disqualified Himachal Congress MLAs, 3 Independents join BJP in Delhi, all may return home today after nearly month-long exile
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TNR Desk
In a significant political development, six disqualified rebel Congress MLAs and three Independent MLAs from Himachal Pradesh joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in New Delhi on Saturday (March 23, 2024). The six Congress rebels are Rajinder Rana, Sudhir Sharma, Ravi Thakur, Chaitanya Sharma, Davinder Kumar Bhutto and ID Lakhanpal while the three Independents are KL Thakur, Hoshyar Singh and Ashish Sharma.
The Independent MLAs, who reached Shimla in a chartered plane from Delhi, tendered their resignation on Friday. Upon arrival, they submitted their resignations to the Assembly Speaker and Secretary before meeting with Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla. Later in the evening, they returned to Delhi along with Leader of Opposition and former CM Jai Ram Thakur, signalling the impending political shift.
Prior to their formal induction into the party, BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda will convene a crucial meeting with the MLAs at the party headquarters. This move comes after the MLAs were instrumental in cross-voting during the recent Rajya Sabha elections, earning assurances from the BJP leadership regarding ticket allocations in the upcoming byelections.
Furthermore, it is anticipated that the rebel Congress MLAs will withdraw their petition filed in the Supreme Court aimed at safeguarding their membership.
Once integrated into the BJP fold, these MLAs are expected to swiftly return to Himachal Pradesh, marking the end of their absence from the state since February 28. Notably, they have been under the cover of CRPF security personnel, with additional deployment by the Union Home Ministry to safeguard their families’ residences.
