Himachal Pradesh’s Vikramaditya Singh resigned as public works minister on Wednesday, amid the brewing discontent over chief minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhus’s leadership. Speaking to the media in a press conference Singh said all he would like to say is that under the current circumstances, it is not correct for him to continue as a part of the government. As a result he has decided that he will be resigning from the council of ministers. He said he will have video conferencing consultations with his people and will then decide about his future course of action.

Singh’s resignation comes a day after 6 Congress MLAs cross-voted in Rajya Sabha elections which resulted in an embarrassing defeat of party candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi. The cross voting in the Rajya Sabha elections and the resignation of Vikramaditya Singh have brought the rift between the factions loyal to chief minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and state unit chief Pratibha Singh out in the open.

Vikramaditya Singh said the government has been formed with everyone’s contribution but the MLAs were overlooked and attempts were made to stifle their voices. He said the state government failed to find even a small piece of land on Mall Road to install the statue of a person (Virbhadhra Singh) who was the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh six times and because of whom this government had been formed.

Singh said he had spoken to the high command, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, about what all has happened in the last two days. He said now the call has to be taken by the high command. The BJP MLAs on the other hand met Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on Wednesday amid apprehensions that the Assembly Speaker might suspend its MLA or disqualify the Congress MPs who cross voted in the Rajya Sabha election.

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Voting for 15 Rajya Sabha seats in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh is taking place on Tuesday, amid concerns about cross-voting by the Congress and Samajwadi Party MLAs. 41 of 56 Rajya Sabha have already been elected unopposed which leaves the three states to witness heated contests between BJP and the INDIA Bloc.

The list of 41 unopposed elected Rajya Sabha MPs includes former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, BJP chief JP Nadda, Ashok Chavan, and union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and L Murugan. The voting for the remaining seats – 10 in Uttar Pradesh, 4 in Karnataka, and 1 in Himachal Pradesh started at 9 am in the Upper House of the Parliament and the results will be announced later in the evening.

The term for Rajya Sabha MPs is 6 years and the elections take place after every 2 years for 33% of the seats. The Rajys Sabha has strength of 245 members. In Uttar Pradesh a heated contest between the SP and the BJP will be witnessed. 8 candidates are contesting from BJP, while the SP has fielded 3 candidates.

According to reports the BJP is likely to win 7 seats and the SP is likely to win 3 seats. But there are concerns that many MLAs may cross vote, especially after some of the SP MPs went missing from a dinner hosted by party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday. Currently the BJP has 252 MLAs in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative assembly while the SP has 108 MLAs along with Congress 2 seats.

BJP ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) has 13 seats, NISHAD Party has 6 seats, RLD has 9 seats, SBSP has 6 seats, Jansatta Dal Loktantrik has 2 seats, and BSP has 1 seat. The BJP alliance and the SP-Congress alliance were negotiating with other parties to gather support for their candidates.

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Amidst the most severe natural disaster in the past five decades that has engulfed Himachal Pradesh, prompted by excessive rainfall and landslides, Chief Minister Shukhvinder Singh Sukhu has attributed the crisis to uncontrolled and flawed construction practices in the hilly region. Speaking to the press, the Chief Minister pointed out that Structural Engineering department are erecting multiple floors without adhering to scientific principles. He said the Structural engineers are just working like labourers.

In the wake of this monsoon season, which has caused the collapse of structures akin to a deck of cards in the renowned tourist hub of Shimla, the death toll related to rain-induced incidents in Himachal Pradesh has risen to 71. The Chief Minister underscored that Shimla, as an aged city, boasts a resilient drainage system, demonstrated by the enduring government edifices. Conversely, the houses that crumbled lacked adherence to structural engineering standards, as per the Chief Minister’s assessment.

The populace’s propensity to construct residences without employing scientific methodologies has led to a subpar drainage system in recently erected buildings. The Chief Minister highlighted the misconception where water is thought to be draining away, but in reality, it is seeping into the hills, rendering them susceptible. Despite Shimla’s over 150-year history, characterized by an excellent drainage system, contemporary buildings are encroaching upon water channels. The Chief Minister argued that these new constructions, failing to meet structural engineering criteria, are collapsing. Even though technology was absent during the construction of landmarks like the nine-storey Secretariat and the eight-storey building of the Advanced Study in Himachal University, Summer Hill, their sturdy construction remained unquestioned over time.

Shimla, aptly named the Queen of Hills, has been one of the areas worst hit by the monsoon in Himachal Pradesh. Notably, Shimla’s renowned Shiv Baudi temple in the Summer Hill region was swept away following a cloudburst-triggered landslide. Subsequently, another landslide in Lalpani, within Shimla’s Krishna Nagar vicinity, caused the collapse of five to seven houses, with residents having been evacuated earlier.

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The electoral victory proved to be easier for the Congress in Himachal Pradesh compared to the agony and the dithering behind the scenes to choose the party’s next chief minister.

Almost 48 hours after the results were announced, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was named as the next chief minister of the state. Pratibha Singh, the state Congress chief and the widow of former CM Virbhadra Singh, who was the initial front-runner who bid for the post within hours of the victory seems to have been relegated from consideration. Reports said Sukhu enjoyed greater support among the MLAs.

Mukesh Agnihotri will be the Deputy Chief Minister. Earlier in the day, rumours were circulating that Pratibha Singh’s son Vikramaditya Singh would also be named Deputy CM. This formula brings forth the eternal factionalism that dogs the Congress. Reports said Pratibha Singh has since left for the Assembly along with MLAs supporting her after this announcement.

The BJP came a cropper on Thursday with just 25 seats though outgoing CM Jairam Thakur also won. Social media had gone into overdrive that night itself imagining a new chapter of Operation Lotus, with several twitter users saying the BJP will force a split in the Congress ranks. The dissent within the Congress leaves fertile ground for the BJP to exploit but given the standing of Pratibha Singh, she is unlikely to rock the Congress boat.

Given the Congress discomfort to accommodate dissent as seen in neighbouring Punjab where the party collapsed into its own hubris, forcing Patiala royal Amarinder Singh to run tables and join the BJP, it is open to speculation how long the peace will hold in Himachal Pradesh and if Sukhu can contain the other factions or else a morale boosting victory can fast turn into a nasty migraine.

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