'They Supped With Us...': After Himachal Rajya Sabha Loss, Singhvi's Barbed Commentary On Defecting Congress MLAs

they supped with us after himachal pradesh rajya sabha loss abhishek manu singhvis barbed commentary on defecting congress mlas

Abhishek Manu Singhvi, the Congress candidate from Himachal Pradesh, who lost the Rajya Sabha elections on Tuesday to BJP’s Harsh Mahajan, made a barbed remark at the Congress MLAs who allegedly defected to the BJP during the voting process.

“I would like to thank the nine persons (MLAs) because they have taught me a lot about human nature, its fickleness or its resoluteness. They supped with us… So, I think we are bad judges of human character, they are obviously better judges of human character,” Singhvi remarked.

The BJP claimed victory in Himachal Pradesh as Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur declared candidate Harsh Mahajan the winner of the Rajya Sabha election. The assertion, however, prompted Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to claim that the BJP had indulged in horse-trading.

Sukhu claimed that a group of five or six Congress MLAs had been transported to Haryana under the escort of a convoy, involving both state police and the Central Reserve Police Force. These allegations emerged in the aftermath of reports indicating that six Congress legislators engaged in cross-voting in favour of the BJP during the recent Rajya Sabha polls on Tuesday.

Numerous MLAs from Himachal Pradesh had reportedly gathered at the PWD Rest House in Sector 1 of Panchkula, Haryana. The venue was not only closed off to the general public but also saw restricted access for the media, intensifying the air of confidentiality surrounding the meeting. The presence of both Congress and independent MLAs added intrigue to the gathering, leaving the purpose and outcomes of their discussions shrouded in secrecy.

BJP sources have strongly implied a forthcoming no-confidence motion against the Sukhu-led government, strategically planned for Thursday. This decision follows the revelation that six Congress MLAs, along with three independents allied with the Congress, allegedly voted for the BJP candidate during the Rajya Sabha elections.

The Congress, with 40 MLAs in the 68-member Himachal Assembly, initially anticipated a secure victory for their candidate, Abhishek Manu Singhvi. However, the result has gone in favour of the BJP.

The reported relocation of Congress MLAs to Haryana, a state governed by the BJP, is perceived as a tactical move in anticipation of the impending no-confidence vote.