SHIMLA: The Himachal Pradesh legislative assembly, on the concluding day of its budget session on Thursday, passed several key bills, including one to deny pension to MLAs disqualified under the anti-defection law, another to set up a state commission for farmers, and an amendment aimed at keeping serious accused persons out of panchayats.
The Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly (Allowances and Pension of Members) Amendment Bill, 2026 was passed despite strong objections from the BJP, which termed it a politically motivated move. Leader of opposition Jai Ram Thakur alleged that the amendment was aimed at MLAs who defected to the BJP in 2024 and said it may not stand legal scrutiny.Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania rejected the charge that the law was retrospective, saying it would apply to members elected to the 14th assembly, which is still in session, or thereafter.
Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu also defended the bill, saying it was intended to act as a deterrent against defections and ensure that “democracy is not sold”. The House also passed legislation to establish a state commission for farmers, an advisory body meant to review policies and recommend measures for improving the condition of agriculture and allied sectors in the hill state.
The proposed body will have a chairperson and up to three non-official members and will focus on issues such as farm income, market access, credit and extension services.
Agriculture minister Chander Kumar said the chairperson would be a practising or progressive farmer from Himachal with a graduate degree, exposure to national and international agricultural developments, and at least five years of administrative experience in agriculture or allied sectors.The House also passed the Himachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which proposes disqualification of individuals facing framed charges in drug-related cases from contesting panchayat elections. It also seeks to tighten norms relating to encroachment, financial irregularities and conflict of interest, while reducing the gram sabha quorum to prevent development works from getting stalled due to low attendance.
