Lucknow, 27 Feb

In a stunning upset for the ruling Congress in Himachal Pradesh, the BJP on Tuesday won the state's lone Rajya Sabha seat with its candidate Harsh Mahajan defeating Congress stalwart Abhishek Manu Singhvi. This has set the stage for a no-trust motion in the Assembly.

Himachal Pradesh saw cross voting that led to the victory of BJP candidate. Mahajan was declared winner by draw of lots after both the candidates were tied, securing 34 votes each.

The result made it clear that nine MLAs voted in favour of the BJP. At present, the Congress has 40 MLAs, BJP 25 while three are independents in the 68-member Himachal Pradesh assembly.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu alleged five to six Congress MLAs were "kidnapped" and whisked away by CRPF and Haryana police.

There was also a buzz that if Congress nominee fails to make it to Rajya Sabha, BJP could move a no-trust motion against Sukhu government in the Assembly.

A video surfaced online purportedly showing a small convoy of cars outside a guest house in Haryana's Panchkula. Congress MLA from Dharamshala Sudhir Sharma, an independent legislator and some BJP MLAs could be spotted in the clip.

Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur is threatening the polling officers by coming to the counting hall time and again, he claimed. PTI