Himachal Pradesh: Speaker disqualifies six Congress MLAs who cross-voted in Rajya Sabha polls
The six MLAs of the ruling Congress in Himachal Pradesh who cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha elections held in the state on Tuesday were disqualified by the Assembly Speaker on Thursday.
The disqualified MLAs are Rajinder Rana, Sudhir Sharma, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Devinder Kumar Bhutoo, Ravi Thakur and Chetanya Sharma.
Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania said that the provisions of the anti-defection law applied to the MLAs. “I declare that the six people cease to be members of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly with immediate effect,” ANI quoted him as saying.
The disqualification petition had been filed by the state’s Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harsh Wardhan Chauhan under the anti-defection law.
Pathania had issued notices to the six legislators on Wednesday demanding their response on the matter.
Senior advocate Satya Pal Jain, representing the six MLAs before the Speaker, said that the legislators were only given a copy of the petition and not the other annexures, The New Indian Express reported. He added that seven days had to be given to the MLAs to file a reply after they receive copies of the petition.
“There are five or six conditions under the anti-defection law, including seven days for reply, which have to be complied with,” he said.
