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Hours after the BJP claimed that the ruling party has lost majority in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has alleged that five or six Congress MLAs were taken to Haryana accompanied by a convoy of the state’s police and the Central Reserve Police Force. Mr Sukhu’s claim comes amid reports of six Congress MLAs cross-voting for the BJP in the Rajya Sabha polls on Tuesday. 

BJP sources have hinted that the party will move a no-confidence motion against the Sukhu government on Thursday after there were indications that six Congress MLAs and three independents backing the party had voted for the BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha election. The Congress, which has 40 MLAs in the 68-member Himachal Assembly, was expected to secure a comfortable win for its candidate, Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

Moving the Congress MLAs to Haryana, a BJP-ruled state, is believed to be part of the party’s preparation for the no-confidence vote. The BJP has 25 MLAs.

“Counting for the Rajya Sabha polls is taking place and the way the BJP leaders are threatening the counting officers is not good for democracy. They have stopped counting for a long time. I will request BJP leaders to remain patient and not put pressure on people,” Mr Sukhu said in Hindi.

“The way 5-6 MLAs have been taken by a convoy of the Haryana Police and the CRPF… The MLAs’ families are trying to get in touch with them and the legislators should contact them. There is no need to worry. There is a government and an opposition in a democracy but the kind of hooliganism (gundagardi) being done by the opposition will never be accepted by the people of Himachal,” he asserted. 

Rajya Sabha Tally

Sources said votes for Mr Singhvi of the Congress and the BJP’s candidate, Harsh Mahajan, were tied at 34 each. The BJP, however, pushed for the ballot of Congress MLA Sudarshan Babloo being cancelled on the grounds that the chief minister’s helicopter was sent to get him to Shimla from Hoshiarpur in Punjab. The party has alleged that this is a violation of the model code of conduct.