The nine rebel MLAs from Congress, including former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday.
Political turmoil ensued in the state after the rebel MLAs tried to overthrow the elected Congress government led by Harish Rawat.
The BJP-led central government had imposed President’s rule in the state. However, Rawat challenged it and the Supreme Court sided with the state.
BJP president Amit Shah and top party leaders from the state met and discussed their strategy after the major setback. Uttarakhand will go to polls early in 2017.
