SHIMLA: The Supreme Court of India has refused to stay the disqualification of the six rebel Congress MLAs by the Speaker of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha.
This decision has left the fate of these MLAs hanging in the balance, as they remain in limbo without a clear resolution from the apex court.
The Supreme court has also disallowed them to participate in the proceedings of the Vidhan sabha.
The refusal of the Supreme Court to grant relief has further intensified the uncertainty in the state, through the Sukhu Government has got a breather for the time being.
These MLAs are Sudhir Sharma, Chaitnya Sharma, Ravi Thakur, Devinder Bhuttu, Rajinder Rana and Inderdutt Lakhanpal.
With the Election Commission of India scheduling by-elections for the six constituencies represented by the Six disqualified MLAs alongside the Lok Sabha elections on June 2nd, both BJP and Congress are engaging in political skirmishes, trading accusations against each other.
In a dramatic turn of events following BJP's Harsh Mahajan's victory over Congress' Abhishek Manu Singhvi in the Rajya Sabha seat contest, political turmoil has gripped Himachal Pradesh.
Despite Congress holding 40 MLAs compared to BJP's 25 in the 68-member House, six Congress rebel MLAs crossed party lines to support Mahajan, leading to a contentious situation.
The disqualification of the six rebel Congress MLAs has dealt a significant blow to the Himachal Pradesh Congress, especially as three independents have also joined ranks with the BJP.
If BJP manages to win all six seats in the upcoming by-elections, which they claim they will, their tally would rise to 31, potentially forming a coalition government with the support of independents.
This situation could lead to a hung assembly, as the current Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government, backed by 34 MLAs, would face a challenge.
The possibility of the government falling looms large, as the Speaker would be unable to vote in the event of a tie, reducing the government's effective strength to 33 against the opposition's 34.
Meanwhile, the Sukhu government has retaliated by initiating proceedings against nine BJP members, accusing them of disrupting the House during the last budget session.
Amidst all this political drama, discontent among certain MLAs towards Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu's leadership style adds another layer of uncertainty to the state's political landscape.
More political skirmishes await the state as BJP is desperate to unseat the Congress government.
