Dissent will lead to Cong govt's collapse in HP after June 4: BJP candidate Sudhir Sharma

Dharamsala, May 11 (PTI) Dissent within the Congress would lead to the collapse of its government in Himachal Pradesh after election results are declared on June 4, claimed Sudhir Sharma, a former Congress MLA and BJP candidate for the bypoll in the Dharamshala assembly seat, on Saturday.

Bypolls to six assembly segments in Himachal Pradesh, which fell vacant following the disqualification of six rebel Congress MLAs, will be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls on June 1.

The BJP has named six former Congress legislators, including Sharma, as its candidates for the Himachal Pradesh Assembly bypolls. They have been fielded from the seats they held as Congress members before disqualification.

"Some who are still in the party out of compulsion will be on our boat after June 4, leading to the end of the (Sukhvinder Singh) Sukhu government," Sharma, a former minister, claimed.

When asked about the feasibility of the BJP forming government in the state given that they would only reach 31 seats even if the party wins all six seats in the bypolls, he claimed that internal dissent within the Congress would further decrease their number after the elections.

At present, the Congress has 34 MLAs in the 68-member Assembly while the BJP has 25. Six Congress MLAs were disqualified for defying a whip to be present in the house and vote in favour of the government during cut motions and budget.

These MLAs and three Independents had voted in favour of the BJP nominee Harsh Mahajan in the Rajya Sabha polls held in the state on February 27. The Independents had resigned from the assembly and joined the BJP but their resignations are yet to be accepted by Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania.

Sharma claimed that lack of support from the Congress and within the House for his ideas for the development of his assembly segment led to him leaving the party. He said that he believed that moving to the BJP would prioritise the development needs of his constituency. PTI COR BPL NSD NSD