Cross-voting, Hotel Stay, and Helicopter Return for Six Himachal Congress MLAs

Six Congress MLAs who supported the BJP candidate in the Himachal Pradesh Rajya Sabha elections have returned to Shimla after departing Haryana on Wednesday for an undisclosed location.
Three independent MLAs were among the returnees; they had also arrived here yesterday following their votes in the Rajya Sabha election.

When the nine of them arrived at the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, BJP MLAs welcomed them with thumping and slogans.The lawmakers, which included Rajinder Rana and Ravi Thakur, stayed in a hotel here last night before departing this morning in a helicopter from Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula, Haryana, which is governed by the BJP, according to earlier reports.

Tuesday, after casting their votes in the Rajya Sabha election, the MLAs traveled from Shimla to Haryana. It is purported that they are in contact with the BJP regarding a potential takeover of the state government.
Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, reportedly "disappointed" the MLAs, who therefore wanted him replaced.In response to Sukhu's allegations that some party lawmakers had been "kidnapped," Ravi Thakur said on Tuesday that he "can go anywhere," presumably alluding to his trip to Panchkula.

"Five to six" Congress MLAs, according to Sukhu in Shimla, were "kidnapped" and taken away by the Haryana Police and the CRPF.