“All issues sorted out, this government will stay for five years”: DK Shivakumar on Himachal Pradesh political crisis

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], February 29 (ANI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar who was appointed as an observer for the Himachal Pradesh political crisis said on Thursday that all is well and the government will complete its five-year tenure.

“All is well. This government will stay for 5 years. All issues have been sorted out. We are hearing all the MLAs. There is no problem in the government,” DK Shivakumar after meeting with HP Congress leaders Vikramaditya Singh and Pratibha Singh in Shimla said.

Himachal Pradesh in-charge Rajiv Shukla has left Shimla.

Observers Bhupendra Singh Hooda and D K Shivakumar will leave from Shimla today.

Meanwhile, the Congress observers appointed to address the crisis in Himachal Pradesh recommended maintaining Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu as Chief Minister till the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, sources said on Thursday.

According to sources, senior leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda and DK Shivakumar, who were appointed observers to the state have submitted their preliminary report to the Congress high command.

Earlier in the day, Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania disqualified the six Congress MLAs who cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha polls.

“Six MLAs, who contested on Congress symbol, attracted provisions of anti-defection law against themselves. I declare that the six people cease to be members of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly with immediate effect,” Speaker Pathania said.

The six MLAs who have been disqualified are Sudhir Sharma, Rajinder Rana, Davinder K Bhutto, Ravi Thakur, Chaitanya Sharma and Inder Dutt Lakhanpal.

After the 2022 Assembly elections, the Congress had 40 MLAs, while the BJP had 25 in the 68-member state assembly. The remaining three seats are held by independents.

With the six rebel MLAs disqualified the strength of the house comes down from 68 to 62 and the halfway mark is 32.