Himachal Deputy CM attacks BJP over fielding Congress' ex-MLAs in assembly bypolls

The Congress is not getting candidates for the Lok Sabha seats and those who have been fielded are being forced to contest, he claimed.There is no coordination between the Congress and the government and that is why Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and his deputy Agnihotri are not getting candidates to field in their home constituencies, said Satti, a former BJP state unit chief.One thing is clear -- there is internal discord in the Congress.

Congress leader and Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri on Sunday hit out at the BJP over the allotment of tickets to six ex-MLAs who defected to the saffron party after being disqualified from the House.

The BJP cadre is suffocated after the party gave tickets to six rebels who joined it after voting for its candidate Harsh Mahajan in the Rajya Sabha elections, Agnihotri told reporters.

The possibility of the BJP changing candidates for the assembly bypolls cannot be ruled out as there will be disgruntlement in the party over the ticket allocation, he added.

Election to Himachal Pradesh's four Lok Sabha seats and bypolls to six assembly constituencies will be held on June 1.

The six assembly seats fell vacant after the rebel Congress MLAs who abstained from voting on the cut motion and finance bill (Budget) in the assembly were disqualified for defying a party whip to be present in the Assembly and vote in favour of the government.

Agnihotri also claimed that the Congress, on other hand, is united and is sure to win all four Lok Sabha seats and the six assembly segments.

The BJP was quick to hit back at Agnihotri, with party leader Sat Pal Satti saying there is no question of changing the candidates for the bypolls. He claimed the Congress is a sinking ship, its graph is falling every day and that is why it has failed to name its candidates for two of the four Lok Sabha and the six assembly constituencies.

He told reporters that corruption is rampant in the state. The Congress is not getting candidates for the Lok Sabha seats and those who have been fielded are being forced to contest, he claimed.

There is no coordination between the Congress and the government and that is why Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and his deputy Agnihotri are not getting candidates to field in their home constituencies, said Satti, a former BJP state unit chief.

One thing is clear -- there is internal discord in the Congress. The Congress high command is also sending back the names of the candidates decided by the state government and the party, he claimed.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)