"BJP will not succeed in destabilising our government ": Himachal Minister Rajesh Dharmani

Speaking to ANI, Dharmani said, "The Bhartiya Janta party will not succeed in destabilising our government. We were already alleging that the BJP was using money power to destablise the government during the Rajya Sabha elections. It has been proven today that they have used money and are also using ED and other agencies to suppress their opponents."

Notably, six disqualified MLAs of Congress switched sides and came into the BJP fold today, while three independent MLAs who voted in favour of a BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections last month also joined the BJP in the national capital after resigning from the Assembly.

Hence, a total of 9 seats have fallen vacant in the Himachal Assembly

Rajesh Dharmani said that the BJP would not be able to form a government in the state even if it registered victory in all nine vacant seats.

"If you see the logic, we need one seat for a full majority. We are already 34. Even if the BJP wins 9 seats, they will not get a majority. People don't want to destabilise the government. Now the ball is in the court of the public," he said.

The three Independents--Ashish Sharma (Hamirpur constituency), Hoshiyar Singh (Dehra) and KL Thakur (Nalagarh)--joined the BJP in the presence of Himachal Pradesh BJP President Rajiv Bindal and Union Minister Anurag Thakur.

On Saturday, six former Himachal Pradesh Congress MLAs who were disqualified as Congress legislators joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the national capital.

Four-time MLA Sudhir Sharma, three-time MLA Ravi Thakur, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, first-time MLA Devendra Bhutto, Rajendra Rana, and first-time MLA Chaitanya Sharma, joined the BJP in the presence of Himachal Pradesh BJP President Rajiv Bindal, former Himachal CM Jairam Thakur and Union Minister Anurag Thakur.

In the last assembly polls held in 2022, Congress registered victory on 40 seats, while the BJP managed to win 25. There are 68 assembly seats in the state. (ANI)