The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is soon going to form its government in Himachal Pradesh, said Harsh Mahajan, who defeated Congress' Abhishek Manu Singhvi for the lone Rajya Sabha seat in the state. Amid cross-voting, the contest between Mahajan and Singhvi was tied at 34-34 votes. However, Mahajan was later declared winner by draw of lots, officials said.
The Congress has 40 MLAs in the 68-member state Assembly and has even claimed the support of a few independent candidates. Singhvi's defeat is being looked upon as a major jolt to the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government in the state which might go through a no-trust motion in the Assembly.
Who is Harsh Mahajan?
Born in Chamba, Harsh Mahajan is the son of former Himachal Assembly speaker and former Cabinet minister Des Raj Mahajan.
He is a three-time MLA and a former minister. Ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections in the state, he resigned from the Congress party in September 2022 and joined the BJP.
He completed his studies at Shri Ram College of Commerce in the national capital and was earlier the president of the Himachal Pradesh Youth Congress between 1986 and 1995.
Mahajan was elected as an MLA for the first time in 1993, representing the Congress party. Later, he went on to win Assembly polls in 1998 and 2003 too.
What Harsh Mahajan said after the victory
The newly elected Rajya Sabha member said that the BJP was the game-changer, adding that people were upset with the Sukhu government. “All good leaders are joining the BJP. It is a future party... There has been cross-voting. Congress has lost its majority in the state. This government is not going to last long,” Mahajan told ANI.
The BJP MP further said that the saffron party will form government in the state. “Some more MLAs of Congress are in touch with us. I got phone calls from some of their MLAs and ministers. The situation is going to change in the next few hours... For the next 10-20 years, Congress is not going to come to power here,” Mahajan told ANI after his victory.
#WATCH | HP BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan - who won the Rajya Sabha Elections says, "BJP is going to form its government in the state. Some more MLAs of Congress are in touch with us. I got phone calls from some of their MLAs and ministers...The situation is going to change in the… pic.twitter.com/2aPmfIhOrU
— ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2024
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
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