Chandigarh, April 16
The Congress party in Haryana has suspended five of its legislators from primary membership, accusing them of cross-voting during last month’s Rajya Sabha elections. Sharing details, State Congress chief Rao Narender Singh said that the decision was taken with immediate effect after what he described as a serious breach of organisational discipline. The move follows recommendations from the party’s disciplinary panel and approval by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
The suspended MLAs are Shalli Chaudhary, Renu Bala, Mohammad Illyas, Mohammad Israil and Jarnail Singh. The party had earlier accused them of defying its official line during voting. According to the Disciplinary Action Committee, chaired by Dharampal Malik, a report was submitted to the leadership after reviewing responses to show-cause notices issued to the legislators. The notices alleged that the MLAs had failed to vote for the party’s official candidate, amounting to anti-party activity.
The controversy centres on the Rajya Sabha polls held on 16 March, where the Congress faced a tighter-than-expected contest. While BJP candidate Sanjay Bhatia comfortably secured a seat, Congress nominee Karamvir Singh Boudh narrowly won the second seat against Independent candidate Satish Nandal, who was backed by the BJP.
Party sources say the alleged cross-voting dented Congress’s position in what was expected to be a straightforward victory. Four of its votes were also declared invalid during counting, adding to the uncertainty.
Some of the accused MLAs have denied wrongdoing. Shalli Chaudhary, Renu Bala and Jarnail Singh said they had voted in line with the party directive and claimed they were being unnecessarily drawn into the dispute.
The party has not indicated whether further action could follow as the matter continues to stir political tensions in the state.
