Amidst fresh challenges for the Congress administration in Himachal Pradesh, Vikramaditya Singh, a state minister and the son of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, tendered his resignation on Wednesday. His decision was announced during a press conference held following the declaration of the Himachal Pradesh Rajya Sabha election results on Tuesday.
Singh stated, “Considering the prevailing circumstances, it would be inappropriate for me to continue as a part of the government. Therefore, I have decided to resign from the Council of Ministers and step down as a minister.” He also addressed concerns regarding the recent Rajya Sabha election outcome, attributing it to the governance system established over the past year since its inception.
Reflecting on the situation, Singh highlighted the influence of his father’s name during the assembly elections and expressed dissatisfaction with the functioning of the government, particularly its treatment of MLAs and their voices. He indicated that his future actions would be decided after consulting with his supporters via video conferences.
Born in 1989, Vikramaditya Singh represents the Shimla Rural constituency as an MLA. He is the son of the late Virbhadra Singh, a former Chief Minister, and Pratibha Singh, the sitting MP from Mandi and the state Congress chief. Having won two consecutive MLA terms in 2017 and 2023, Singh’s resignation comes amidst political turmoil following the unexpected victory of the BJP in the recent Rajya Sabha elections due to cross-voting by six Congress MLAs.
The BJP has seized upon this development, claiming that the government has lost both mandate and trust. This upheaval arrives amidst the ongoing Assembly’s annual Budget session and impending voting on the state Finance Bill, where the BJP is pushing for division voting. Failure to pass the Budget could lead to the fall of the Congress government.
With 40 Congress MLAs and 25 BJP members in the 68-member assembly, along with three independents, the BJP aims to capitalize on the situation to form a new government. Harsh Mahajan, the BJP leader who secured the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Himachal Pradesh, expressed confidence in his party’s ability to assume power, citing purported discussions with discontented Congress legislators.