Trouble mounted for the already-struggling Congress in Himachal Pradesh after their key minister Vikramaditya Singh on Wednesday announced his resignation from the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu cabinet.
“I am submitting my resignation to the chief minister and the governor,” he said adding that there were attempts to humiliate and undermine him from some quarters and despite reservations.
A political crisis has unfolded for Congress in the state since Tuesday, when it lost the sole Rajya Sabha seat to the BJP with six of its members cross-voting in the poll.
Who is Congress Leader Vikramaditya Singh?
An MLA from the Shimla Rural constituency, Vikramaditya Singh is a Congres leader who held the Public Works Department (PWD) portfolio in the Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu-led Himachal Pradesh Cabinet.
Singh, announced his resignation on Wednesday and said he was “deeply hurt” by the transpiring over the past two days and said there’s a need to ponder what went wrong for the Congress.
Singh’s father late Virbhadra Singh was the former chief minister of Himachal and his mother, Pratibha Singh, is the MP from Mandi and also the state Congress chief.
Vikramaditya Singh is a two-time MLA. He won his first election in 2017 and repeated the performance in 2023
Sing’s political career began in 2013 when he was associated with the HP Congress Committee. He was elected as the Himachal Pradesh State Youth Congress president in 2013 until 2017.
In 2017, he won his first assembly election from the Shimla Rural constituency and then again in 2023. On January 8, 2023, he became the PWD, Youth Services and Sports, Urban Development Minister of Himachal Pradesh in the Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu Ministry.
Attended Ram Lalla Consecration Ceremony Despite Party Denial
Vikramaditya Singh attended the Pran Pratishta of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya in January this year against the party stance and made national headlines for his independent decision.
However, Singh later clarified, “The party high command has specified that everyone is free to visit the temple whenever they want as religion and faith have nothing to do with politics and therefore, we will visit the temple. I will not say that I will go on January 22 but will go whenever I feel like it.”
Himachal Pradesh Political Crisis
Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha was on Wednesday adjourned sine die after the passing of budget for 2024-25. The budget was passed in the absence of BJP members as 15 of them were suspended while the remaining 10 staged a walkout in protest against the suspension of its members.
Amid the political crisis, the BJP sat on dharma outside the Assembly after 15 of its MLAs were suspended by the Congress government and the House was adjourned.
The Congress said the BJP cannot take away the mandate of the people of Himachal Pradesh through its ‘Operation Lotus’ and it will not hesitate to take tough steps in the party’s interest.
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