Sukhvinder Sukhu Govt in Himachal Pradesh on Borrowed Time? Congress in a Fix Before Elections

Is the Himachal Pradesh Congress and government headed for a meltdown? Nine former Himachal Pradesh MLAs, including six disqualified Congress legislators and three Independents who resigned, joined the BJP on Saturday amid the continuing political crisis in the state.

For now, the Congress is not too worried. It has 34 MLAs in the Assembly, two more than the majority mark of 32. The BJP has 25. The government seems stable for now, but the developments are ominous.

From Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s perspective, the party needs to do well in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the state. After the party’s loss in the Rajya Sabha elections, Sukhu cannot afford another loss of face, especially with party colleagues like state Congress president Pratibha Singh, her son Vikramaidtya Singh, and Mukesh Agnihotri gunning for him. In worse news, Pratibha Singh has opted out of the race, saying the party works are demoralized and don’t want to fight.

The disqualification of the six MLAs, pushed for by Sukhu to “teach them a lesson”, has led to more disgruntlement. The BJP sensed the same, and according to sources, is in touch with “many Congress MLAs” in its mission to secure all four Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Harsh Mahajan, who joined the BJP from Congress and is the new Rajya Sabha MP from the party, said: “The Congress has lost the plot. In Lok Sabha elections, we will win all seats. And the government will soon fall.”

Sukhu has been accused by party colleagues and MLAs of not being accessible. However, some rebels who returned to the party said they have been reassured that “all will be well.”

Sukhu has the support of the Gandhis, who are keen not to ruffle the feathers. Sources said Priyanka Gandhi Vadra told a group of disgruntled MLAs that a change in CM now does not “guarantee” that the Governor will call anyone nominated by the party in Sukhu’s place to form the government.

Sensing trouble, the Sukhu government has recommended the setting up of a four-member political affairs committee to ensure the smooth working of the government.

The committee is to be chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri and will include Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar, Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, and Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi as members.