Shimla, Sept. 2 -- The final day of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly's monsoon session on Tuesday witnessed high drama as the Opposition staged a walkout during Question Hour, accusing the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government of "stealing votes" in the recent Dehra bypoll and misusing state funds to influence voters.

Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur alleged that the government engaged in blatant violations of the Model Code of Conduct during the by-election, in which the Chief Minister's wife was the Congress candidate.

The uproar began when Hamirpur MLA Ashish Sharma asked a question about funds allegedly released from the Kangra Central Cooperative Bank to women's groups during the bypoll period. Th...