The Congress party has announced its candidates for the upcoming Himachal Pradesh Assembly bye-elections, scheduled for June 1. The bypolls are necessitated by the disqualification of rebel Congress MLAs, leaving six assembly seats vacant. The Congress has named Ranjit Singh Rana for Sujanpur, Rakesh Kalia for Gagret, and Vivek Sharma for Kutlehar.
Captain Ranjit Singh Rana (retd) contested from the Sujanpur assembly constituency on a BJP ticket in the year 2022, he joined the Congress on Wednesday. Rakesh Kalia, a former MLA from Gagret, also returned to the Congress after quitting the BJP. He resigned after the rebel Congress MLAs were inducted into the saffron outfit. He joined the saffron party in 2022 after he was denied a Congress ticket to contest the Assembly election from Gagret.
Earlier this month, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said Vivek Sharma (Vikku) was the front runner from the Kutlehar assembly seat and Satpal Raijada from the Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat for the Congress as he urged the people to support the two candidates.
Previously, the BJP named its candidates for the bypolls, fielding six disqualified MLAs from the Himachal Pradesh assembly who recently joined the party after leaving the Congress. Among the BJP candidates are Sudhir Sharma for Dharamshala, Ravi Thakur for Lahaul and Spiti, Rajinder Rana for Sujanpur, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal for Barsar, Chetanya Sharma for Gagret, and Devinder Kumar Bhutto for Kutlehar.
The disqualification of the six former Congress MLAs occurred due to their defiance of a party whip during the Rajya Sabha polls, where they voted for the BJP candidate, causing a setback for the ruling Congress in the state.
ALSO READ | Lok Sabha Polls, Phase 2: Voting Concludes In 88 Constituencies Amid EVM Glitches And Village Boycotts
Himachal Congress Demands Action Against 3 MLAs Under Anti-Defection Law
Meanwhile, the Himachal Pradesh Congress has taken legal action against three Independent MLAs who resigned from the state assembly and joined the BJP. Congress legislators Jagat Singh Negi and Harish Janartha have filed a petition with Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania, seeking action under the anti-defection law against these MLAs, news agency PTI reported. The MLAs in question, Hoshiyar Singh, Ashish Sharma, and K L Thakur, had resigned from the assembly on March 22 and joined the BJP the following day.
Despite the resignation, the Congress argues that the MLAs' action still falls under the purview of the anti-defection law.
Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania confirmed that the process on the petition has commenced, with notices issued to the three Independent MLAs, along with a copy of the petition, and they are required to respond by May 4, as per PTI. The counsel for the MLAs informed that arguments have been concluded, and the speaker's counsel will present their case in the next hearing.
The situation remains complex as the matter is also under judicial scrutiny. The Shimla High Court heard the case of the three Independent MLAs on April 10 and adjourned it until April 30, restraining any immediate decision by the speaker until the court case is resolved. The MLAs maintain that they resigned voluntarily, while the Congress contends that the circumstances surrounding their resignation demand an investigation.