HP CM Questions BJP on Poaching Congress MLAs With Money
Synopsis
The Chief Minister's Office of Himachal Pradesh fired a public broadside at BJP leaders Jairam Thakur and Anurag Thakur on November 5, 2026, accusing the party of offering money to Congress MLAs to defect while simultaneously staging 'save democracy' foot marches across the state.
Key Takeaways
The Chief Minister's Office of Himachal Pradesh publicly accused the BJP of offering money to Congress MLAs to switch sides, in a post on November 5, 2026 .
The post directly named Jairam Thakur (BJP opposition leader, former CM) and Anurag Thakur (BJP MP, Hamirpur).
The BJP has been conducting padayatras (foot marches) across Himachal Pradesh on the theme of 'saving democracy.' Himachal Pradesh's assembly has just 68 seats , making even small defections a potential threat to any government's majority.
Congress formed the current government after the 2022 state assembly elections with a slim majority.
Any formal action would proceed under the anti-defection law (Tenth Schedule) via a petition to the Speaker.
A sharp political challenge rang out from Shimla on Thursday, November 5, 2026, as the Chief Minister's Office of Himachal Pradesh posted a pointed question to the BJP leadership — asking how the opposition party can claim to defend democracy while allegedly paying elected Congress legislators to switch sides.
The post, in Hindi, poses a direct challenge: 'कमाल की बात है कि भाजपा आज लोकतंत्र की दुहाई दे रही है' — 'What an irony that the BJP today invokes democracy' — while simultaneously, the Congress government alleges, trying to purchase the loyalty of MLAs who won on Congress tickets.The accusation: 'Congress MLAs won on a Congress ticket — who is offering them money?'
The post directly names Jairam Thakur, former Chief Minister and leader of the BJP opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, and Anurag Thakur, BJP MP from Hamirpur and a prominent national face of the party in the state. The question posed is unambiguous: who is funding the alleged inducements to legislators who won their seats under the Congress banner? The rhetorical structure is deliberate — framing the BJP's ongoing padayatras (foot marches) on the theme of democracy as contradicted by the alleged horse-trading.
The Himachal Pradesh assembly has just 68 seats, meaning even a handful of defections can topple a government. Congress secured its current majority in the 2022 state elections — a margin the BJP has sought to chip away at almost from day one, according to the Congress government's repeated public statements.
A pattern older than this government
Himachal Pradesh has a well-documented history of alternating Congress and BJP governments, each cycle accompanied by allegations of inducements and floor-crossing attempts. The anti-defection law under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution provides formal recourse — a Speaker's ruling on disqualification — but its enforcement has been slow and contested across Indian states. The political pressure, however, operates well before any formal complaint is filed.
The BJP's foot marches framed around 'saving democracy' in the state have given the Congress an opening to flip the narrative: if democracy needs saving, the ruling party argues, look at who is writing cheques to elected representatives.
What BJP's leaders face now
The CMO's post puts Jairam Thakur and Anurag Thakur on the spot publicly. Any response — or deliberate silence — becomes part of the political record. The next assembly session and any formal anti-defection petition to the Speaker will be the real test of whether this escalates beyond rhetoric.
In a 68-member house, every word carries the weight of a potential floor vote. The Congress government in Shimla is making sure its opponents know it.
Point of View
The Congress government is daring them to either deny the horse-trading allegation publicly or absorb the silence as a political concession. In a 68-seat assembly, the battle for public perception is inseparable from the battle for legislative numbers. If the Congress can sustain this framing through the next session, it may deter undecided legislators more effectively than any anti-defection petition.
NationPress
5 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh accusing the BJP of doing?
The Congress-led government, through the Chief Minister's Office, has accused the BJP of offering money to Congress MLAs to defect and destabilise the government, even as the BJP conducts padayatras (foot marches) on a 'save democracy' theme.
Who are Jairam Thakur and Anurag Thakur?
Jairam Thakur is the former Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh (2017–2022) and current leader of the BJP opposition in the state assembly. Anurag Thakur is a BJP Member of Parliament from the Hamirpur constituency and a former Union Minister.
What is a padayatra and why is it significant here?
A padayatra is a political foot march, typically used to mobilise public opinion. The BJP's padayatras in Himachal Pradesh are framed around defending democracy — a framing the Congress government is challenging by pointing to alleged cash-based inducements to legislators.
What is the anti-defection law and does it apply here?
India's anti-defection law, under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, disqualifies legislators who vote against their party's direction or voluntarily give up party membership. If Congress MLAs are induced to defect and do so, the party could file a disqualification petition with the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker.
Why is Himachal Pradesh's assembly majority so fragile?
The Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly has only 68 seats, so a government needs 35 MLAs to hold a majority. Congress's slim margin means even a small number of defections could potentially shift the floor count and threaten the government.
