As elections for the one Rajya Sabha seat begin, the Congress claims that the BJP is preparing to engage in horse dealing in Himachal

SHIMLA: The only Rajya Sabha seat is expected to be fiercely contested, and Himachal Pradesh is ready. Senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi is the Congress candidate, while Harsh Mahajan, a former Congress MLA, is the BJP nominee.
The BJP candidate appealed to the Chief Election Commissioner on Monday, claiming that it was unethical for the Congress to have given its MLAs a three-line whip for the elections.

“Such a whip is not only unethical but also against the conducting of elections to the Rajya Sabha as it will affect the decision making ability of the MLAs,” Harsh Mahajan said in his complaint.
Following the filing of the complaint, state minister Harsh Wardhan Chauhan of the Congress attacked the BJP, claiming that the claims made to the electoral board were the product of “frustration” inside the party.
The Himachal Pradesh Minister Harsh Wardhan Chauhan said that the BJP was organizing “horse trading”.
“The BJP is frustrated because their numbers of MLAs do not support them. 39 MLAs are independent, while 40 are part of Congress. The fact that the BJP is fielding a candidate while having only 25 MLAs suggests that they are preparing to engage in horse trading, according to Chauhan.
Former minister and three-time Congress MLA Harsh Mahajan left the party in September 2022 in before of the Assembly elections and joined the BJP.
On Sunday, the Congress gave its MLAs orders to support party nominee Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
Notably, after the whip, every candidate will be required to present their ballot to an authorized representative. If an MLA declines to do so, the representative has the authority to declare the vote void.
With the backing of three independent MLAs and 40 out of 68 MLAs, the Congress has a certain majority. With just 25 MLAs, the BJP is far behind in the numbers race, but by putting Mahajan against Singhvi, it has created a battle.
On Tuesday, elections will be held in Himachal Pradesh for one Rajya Sabha seat.