Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], March 22 (HBTV): Three independent MLAs resigned from the Himachal Pradesh State Assembly on Friday. Their resignations come days after they voted for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate in the recently held Rajya Sabha polls in the state. 

The MLAs who tendered their resignations to Assembly Secretary Yashpal Sharma also met with Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla at the Raj Bhavan here.

The MLAs are KL Thakur from Nalagarh, Hoshiyar Singh from Dehra, and Ashish Sharma from the Hamirpur assembly seat. There are reports that these MLAS will be joining the BJP.  

"We have tendered our resignation for the sake of the state, the people. If the MLAs are not safe, if their families are not safe...all these have forced us to come to this decision," Hoshiyar Singh told reporters after his resignation.

On being asked whether they would be joining the BJP, Singh said, "All of us will be joining."

Responding to allegations leveled by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu that MLAs are being sold off to the BJP, Singh said, "Let him (Sukhu) prove that. Let him speak about his incapability about why six of his MLAs left him." 

Leader of Opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Jairam Thakur said that the MLAs assured that they were not acting under any pressure and wanted to join the BJP. 

"Three independent MLAs came here to tender their resignation to the Vidhan Sabha Speaker. He was not present. So they handed over their resignation to the secretary. They assured that they were not under any pressure. It is necessary to give them strength under the leadership of PM Modi. They want to join the BJP," the former chief minister told ANI. 

(ANI) This is a syndicated news feed. HBTV has edited it for clarity.