BJP Secures Himachal Rajya Sabha Seat with Congress Cross-Voting

In a surprising turn of events, the BJP secures victory for its candidate in Himachal Pradesh’s lone Rajya Sabha seat, despite holding only 25 out of 68 seats in the Assembly. The win comes from cross-voting by Congress MLAs and a favorable toss break. This setback not only affects the Congress’s reputation but also threatens its government with a potential no-confidence vote in one of the three states it solely governs. With Lok Sabha elections looming, the blow is significant.

Jairam Thakur, Leader of the Opposition, hailed the BJP’s win, attributing it to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President JP Nadda, and Home Minister Amit Shah. Despite the Congress’s 40 MLAs, their candidate, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, was expected to win comfortably. However, during the voting, six Congress MLAs and three independent supporters reportedly sided with the BJP.

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Earlier, Thakur, the former Himachal chief minister until 2022 when the BJP lost to the Congress, indicated the Sukhu government’s loss of majority in the Assembly.