The North News
Chandigarh, March 13
Congress legislators in Haryana were moved to an undisclosed location on Friday ahead of the March 16 Rajya Sabha election, in a move widely seen as an effort to prevent possible cross-voting. Sources said the MLAs were likely headed to Himachal Pradesh, a neighbouring Congress-ruled state, and are expected to return shortly before polling begins. The election for two Rajya Sabha seats in Haryana has turned into a three-cornered contest, with the BJP’s Sanjay Bhatia, Congress nominee Karamvir Singh Boudh and Independent candidate Satish Nandal in the fray. Congress, which has 37 MLAs in the 90-member Haryana Assembly, has enough numbers to secure one seat for its candidate. But party leaders appear wary that any cross-voting could upset its calculations.
Most Congress MLAs gathered at the residence of Congress Legislature Party leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda in Chandigarh before leaving in two tempo travellers after a meeting. Haryana Congress chief Rao Narender Singh and the party’s Haryana in-charge B K Hariprasad also accompanied the legislators.
While party leaders did not reveal where the MLAs were headed, sources said they would stay in Himachal Pradesh until just before the vote. At least five legislators, including Kuldeep Vats, did not join the trip due to prior family commitments. Mr Hooda is also expected to stay back.
The contest intensified after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended on Monday, leaving three candidates in the race for two seats.
The two Rajya Sabha seats are falling vacant as BJP members Kiran Choudhry and Ram Chander Jangra complete their terms on 9 April.
The ruling BJP has 48 MLAs in the assembly, while Congress has 37. The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has two MLAs and there are three Independents. With 31 votes needed for each winning candidate, the numbers suggest both the BJP and Congress should be able to win one seat each — unless cross-voting alters the outcome.
Hooda has repeatedly said the Congress has sufficient strength to ensure victory for its nominee.
Dismissing speculation that some Congress MLAs could vote against the party line, he recently said: “Such speculations are only in the media.”
Haryana Congress president Rao Narender Singh has also insisted that the party’s 37 MLAs are enough to guarantee Mr Boudh’s win. The entry of Satish Nandal, who filed his nomination as an Independent on Thursday, has added intrigue to the contest.
Nandal, a former BJP candidate who lost the 2019 Haryana Assembly election to Mr Hooda from the Garhi-Sampla-Kiloi seat in Rohtak, is believed to be backed by the BJP. For victory, he would need 17 second-preference votes from the BJP, support from the three Independent MLAs, two INLD votes and at least eight Congress legislators.
Polling for the Rajya Sabha seats will be held from 9am to 4pm on 16 March, with counting scheduled to begin at 5pm the same day.
Bhatia, 58, is a former Lok Sabha MP from Karnal and is considered close to Union minister and former Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
Boudh, a retired Haryana government employee, is a Dalit activist and currently serves as coordinator of the Congress party’s National Scheduled Castes department. He is understood to be the choice of party leader Rahul Gandhi.
With PTI inputs
