Uttarakhand govt totters; 9 Congress rebels, 26 BJP MLAs in Delhi to meet Amit Shah

Dehradun: Harish Rawat-led Uttarakhand government plunged into political crisis after nine Congress MLAs joined ranks with the principal opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday.

In a latest development, nine Congress legislators and and 26 BJP MLAs reached the national capital early Saturday.

Speaking to ANI, Kailash Vijayvargiya said, 26 Uttarakhand BJP MLAs and 9 Congress lawmakers have come to Delhi and will meet BJP president Amit Shah later in the day.

The BJP leader said the party is ready to form the government as well face elections in Uttarakhand.

The senior BJP leader further said if the Governor does not immediately dismiss Harish Rawat's minority government, they would knock at the doors of the President.

After reaching the national capital, Congress leader and former Uttarakhand CM Vijay Bahuguna said, "This government was involved in massive corruption and taking Uttarakhand to destruction," as per ANI.

The rebel Congress MLAs (mostly those owing allegiance to Bahuguna) are - Harak Singh Rawat, Amrita Rawat, Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion, Shaila Rani Rawat, Pradip Batra, Subodh Uniyal, a confirmed Bahuguna loyalist, Shailendra Mohan Singhal and Umesh Sharma.

Earlier on Friday, the BJP legislators along with the nine Congress rebels went to the Raj Bhavan and met governor KK Paul and sought dismissal of the state Congress government.

Meanwhile, beleaugered Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat, whose Congress government plunged into a crisis with nine party MLAs revolting against his leadership, Friday night claimed he has "full majority" and warned of disciplinary action against the rebels.

The Harish Rawat-led government ended up with a red face as it got merely 32 votes in favour against the 36 required for the Finance Bill to be passed.

The political upheaval began with the falling of the Finance Bill in the state Assembly.

Harak Singh Rawat who was the top contender for the chief minister's post -- but the party high command chose Harish Rawat over him -- later resigned from the state cabinet.