As Himachal Pradesh Congress near victory, party fears BJP's 'Operation Lotus'; likely to fly out MLAs
The Congress in the hill state fears the BJP's "Operation Lotus", a code for PM Narendra Modi's party getting MLAs to switch loyalties and toppling Opposition parties' governments - a fate the Congress suffered in Madhya Pradesh.
FollowWhile the Congress in Himachal Pradesh is all set to mark its victory by a slender margin, the party is already gathering its flock to fly them out of the state, away from possible poaching attempts by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It is reportedly said that the candidates may be taken to Rajasthan or Chhattisgarh, the only two states where the Congress is in power in the country.
Candidates on the winning path have already started reaching state unit chief Pratibha Singh's home in Shimla. Chandigarh, 90 km away, may be a pitstop before the group is flown out.
Also read:Â Himachal Pradesh Election Result 2022: Know who won, who lost the polls
Reacting to a question regarding the same, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said, "I will be going to Himachal as I am the party observer there. We'll not bring them (MLAs) here. But we do have to ensure our people are kept together. The BJP can go to any lengths."Â
The Congress in the hill state fears the BJP's "Operation Lotus", a code for PM Narendra Modi's party getting MLAs to switch loyalties and toppling Opposition parties' governments - a fate the Congress suffered in Madhya Pradesh.
Also read:Â Himachal Pradesh Election Result 2022: CM Jai Ram Thakur wins for 6th time by margin of over 20,000
Over the past few years, Goa also witnessed a huge chunck of Congress MLAs moving to the BJP in two instances. Today it has already lost badly in PM Modi's home state and BJP bastion Gujarat; but it never expected to win there anyway.
Himachal is essential to giving the party some confidence before the big 2024 contest for the Lok Sabha, barely 15 months away now.
Three factions, however, are at play in Himachal — led by state chief Pratibha Singh, Leader of Opposition Sukhvinder Sukhu, and senior leader Mukesh Agnihotri.
At 12:30, the Congress was ahead in 37 of the 68 seats — just ahead of the majority mark of 35 — while the BJP was at 26. Three Independents were leading, at least two of them former BJP leaders who had rebelled after being denied the party ticket.
