Himachal Pradesh: DK Shivakumar enroute to Shimla to resolve Congress political crisis as MLA Vikramaditya resigns

In a major setback to the Congress party, Himachal Pradesh Public Works Department Minister Vikramaditya Singh on Wednesday resigned from his post. The announcement has made the cracks apparent in the ruling Congress party which lost its sole Rajya Sabha seat to the BJP on Tuesday.

"...Someone who was the CM of the state for 6 times, due to whom this Government was formed in the state - they could not find a small space for his statue at Mall Road. This is the respect this Government has shown to my late father. We are emotional people, we have nothing to do with posts...But this is very unfortunate...I am very hurt, not politically but emotionally...," Vikramaditya Singh said after resigning from his post.

The Rajya Sabha election was spoilt for the Congress due to cross-voting by some of its members. Now Congress party is scrambling to keep its members together to prevent the fall of its government. While the Bharatiya Janata Party is demanding the resignation of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, who is set to visit Himachal Pradesh said, "It is not right, this type of horse-trading, someday it might boomerang...I am confident that all our legislators will be loyal to the party...".

Congress has appointed DK Shivkumar and Bhupinder Singh Hooda as observers for Himachal Pradesh. The two leaders have been tasked to resolve the issues.

Shivakumar has lived his political life with the 'troubleshooter' image ever since he hosted Congress MLAs from Maharashtra in Bengaluru as the Vilasrao Deshmukh-led government faced a similar crisis back in 2001.

On Wednesday, Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania suspended 15 BJP MLAs, including Leader