Six rebel former MLAs of the Congress who had challenged their disqualification from the Himachal Pradesh Assembly in the Supreme Court withdrew their plea on Friday, reported Live Law.
In the Rajya Sabha elections in the state on February 27, six MLAs of the ruling Congress and three independents voted in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Harsh Mahajan, triggering a political crisis in Himachal Pradesh.
On February 29, the six MLAs – Rajinder Rana, Sudhir Sharma, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Devinder Kumar Bhutoo, Ravi Thakur and Chetanya Sharma – were disqualified by Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania.
On March 12, the MLAs challenged the order in the Supreme Court, arguing that their disqualification was unjust.
The MLAs joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on March 23. This came after the court on March 18 refused to stay the Himachal Pradesh speaker’s order disqualifying them.
On Friday, while dismissing their petition, Justice Sanjiv Khanna remarked: “I knew this was going to happen,” according to Live Law.
The BJP has 28 MLAs in the 68-member state Assembly while the Congress has 34. The Election Commission announced bye-polls in the state on June 1 for the Assembly constituencies that were held by the six disqualified MLAs, along with the state’s four Lok Sabha seats.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!