[ad_1]
Himachal Pradesh Congress took action against party MLA Sudhir Sharma on March 6 for cross-voting in support of the BJP candidate during the state’s Rajya Sabha elections on February 27.
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal announced in an official statement that party president Mallikarjun Kharge has removed Sharma from the post of secretary with immediate effect.
Sharma, a senior figure from Dharamshala and former Himachal Pradesh minister, faced disqualification as MLA for going against the party whip.
Read this also Lok Sabha Elections 2024: NDA seat-sharing in Maharashtra finalised, announcement soon, say sources
Disqualified MLAs approached the Supreme Court
Earlier on March 5, the party had disqualified six of its MLAs for cross voting. These MLAs had approached the Supreme Court of India challenging the party’s decision announced by state Legislative Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania on February 29.
The Congress rebel, who had supported BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan in the Rajya Sabha elections on February 27, later abstained from voting on the budget in violation of the party whip. Due to this move, senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi had to face defeat in the Rajya Sabha elections.
The ruling Congress sought disqualification of the six MLAs, alleging that they abstained from voting on the budget against the party whip. The disqualified MLAs include Rajinder Rana, Sudhir Sharma, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Devinder Kumar Bhuttu, Ravi Thakur and Chetanya Sharma.
Read this also Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Anil Deshmukh says talks are going on on seat sharing between MVA parties
After the disqualification, the effective strength of the House dropped from 68 to 62, while the number of Congress MLAs dropped from 40 to 34.
alleged violation of natural justice
In their petition to the Supreme Court, the rebel MLAs claimed violation of the principle of natural justice and said they were not given adequate opportunity to respond to the disqualification petition.
This is the first instance in the history of Himachal Pradesh where an MLA was disqualified under the anti-defection law, which was aimed at preventing defection.
Under the anti-defection law, any elected member who voluntarily gives up party membership or votes contrary to party instructions faces disqualification.
Read this also Bengaluru water crisis and how Karnataka government is dealing with it
unprecedented disqualification process
Rebel MLAs, who signed the attendance register but remained absent during the budget voting, received notices through WhatsApp and e-mail. The Speaker suspended 15 BJP MLAs and the Assembly passed the Finance Bill by voice vote before adjourning the session.
In a 30-page order, the Speaker justified the quick decision, stressed the need to maintain the dignity of democracy and stop the “Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram” phenomenon. He clarified that the decision has nothing to do with cross voting by these MLAs in the Rajya Sabha elections.
(With inputs from PTI)
Unlock a world of benefits! From informative newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and personalized newsfeeds – it’s all here, just a click away! log in now!
Watch all politics news and updates on Live Mint. Check out all the latest action on Budget 2024 here. Download Mint News app to get daily market updates and live business news.
more less
Published: 06 March 2024, 02:05 PM IST
[ad_2]
