India News | Defection by MLAs Major Poll Issue in Himachal Pradesh: Sukhu
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. 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.
Shimla, April 22 (PTI) 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.
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"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.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)