Rajya Sabha Elections 2024: Speaker expels 15 BJP MLAs, including Jairam Thakur from Himachal Assembly

Congress leader and Himachal Pradesh minister Vikramaditya Singh on Wednesday resigned from his post after the ruling party lost the lone Rajya Sabha seat in the hilly state. While stepping down from his position he said, “All I would like to say is that under the current circumstances, it is not correct for me to continue as a part of the government. So, I have decided that I am resigning from the Council of Ministers. I am resigning as a minister. In the time to come, I will have video consultations with my people and then decide about the future course of action...”

#WATCH | Himachal Pradesh Minister Vikramaditya Singh steps down from his position, a day after the Rajya Sabha election result in the state.

He says, "All I would like to say is that under the current circumstances, it is not correct for me to continue as a part of the… pic.twitter.com/VNp0nuSfnR

— ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2024

The resignation of Vikramaditya has come as a setback for the Sukhu government. While addressing the media, Vikramaditya said that he had informed Priyanka Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge about this. He said that sometimes tough decisions have to be taken considering the current situation.

15 MLAs including Jairam Thakur suspended

Meanwhile, according to the sources, the Speaker in Himachal Pradesh has suspended 14 BJP MLAs including Jairam Thakur. Amidst the threat from the government in Himachal, Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania has expelled 15 opposition MLAs. 

Himachal Pradesh Speaker suspends 15 BJP MLAs, including leader of opposition Jai Ram Thakur, adjourns House. pic.twitter.com/yuJe7Tr8Fm

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 28, 2024

It is important to remember that since the Rajya Sabha election results were announced, Sukhu's government has been in jeopardy. In Himachal, there are 68 seats, and 35 are needed for the majority. In the 2022 assembly elections, the Congress secured 40 seats while the BJP secured 25 seats. Three seats went to independent MLAs. Six Congress MLAs have now crossed over to vote in favor of the BJP. There will be 34 MLAs in Congress if all of these MLAs switch parties. which is going to be one less than the bulk.