Cong observers meet Himachal MLAs one-on-one; 6 rebels disappear

Congress's central observers Bhupinder Singh Hooda and DK Shivakumar held one-on-one meetings with party MLAs at a hotel near the Vidhan Sabha building in Shimla, but the six legislators who cross-voted during the Rajya Sabha polls were not in the town.

Hooda and Shivakumar reached Shimla Wednesday evening to diffuse the crisis in the Congress party following the revolt by six MLAs, but they had already left for Panchkula in Haryana before the observers arrived.

During the meeting at the Cecil Hotel in Shimla, discussions were being held and feedback taken from MLAs, sources said.

State Congress in-charge Rajiv Shukla was also present at the meetings.

Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, who met the observers, said some of the rebels are in contact with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and the Congress high command.

Sukhu said, "We are forgiving in nature but the MLAs who cross-voted during the Rajya Sabha elections in favour of the BJP candidate should have respected the party's ideology."