📷 Image Credits: NDTV
In a significant shift, Himachal Pradesh’s assembly now has zero independent MLAs for the first time in its history. Traditionally, independents have played key roles, but the current two-party dynamic between Congress and BJP has changed that.
Congress strengthened its presence by winning two out of three recent by-elections, raising its assembly seats to 40. Notably, this marks the first occasion where a husband-wife duo, CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Kamlesh Thakur, sit together in the house. Kamlesh Thakur’s victory has increased the number of women legislators to two.
The landscape altered further after independent MLAs Hoshiyar Singh, Ashish Sharma, and K L Thakur resigned and joined the BJP, only to lose in subsequent by-elections. Their decisions and the ensuing reconfiguration highlight a critical evolution in Himachal’s political scene.
The Election Commission on Monday announced by-elections in the three assembly constituencies of Dehra, Hamirpur and Nalagarh on July 10, the result of which will be out on July 13. The by-elections were necessitated following the resignation of the three Independent MLAs, Hoshiyar Singh (Dehra), Ashish Sharma (Hamirpur) and KL Thakur (Nalagarh). All three had voted in favour of the BJP candidate, Harsh Mahajan, in the February 27 Rajya Sabha elections along with six rebel Congress MLAs who cross-voted.
Though the three MLAs resigned from the assembly on March 22, Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania accepted their resignations on June 3 after the Lok Sabha elections and six assembly by-polls were held simultaneously on June 1 in Dharamshala, Sujanpur, Barsar, Gagret, Kutlehar, and Lahaul and Spiti. The Speaker said he had delayed accepting their resignations as he had received a representation from the Congress that the decision to quit seemed to have been taken under duress and not voluntarily.
Meanwhile, the EC will issue the poll notification for the three by-elections on June 14, while candidates can file their nominations by June 21. The scrutiny of the documents will be carried out on June 24 and the candidates can withdraw nominations by June 26. Hoshiyar Singh, Ashish Sharma and KL Thakur had joined the BJP on March 23 and moved the Himachal Pradesh high court, seeking directions to the Speaker to accept their resignation. However, due to divergent views on whether the court could issue directions to the Speaker in this regard, the matter was referred to a third judge. It is still pending in the court. In the six by-elections on June 1, the Congress won four seats and secured a majority in the 68-member House the strength of which was reduced to 65 members after the resignation of the three Independent MLAs. The Congress now has 38 MLAs, while the BJP has increased its strength to 27 after winning two seats in the recent by-elections.
