Chandigarh: Amidst the apprehension of cross-voting, the stage is all set for election to two seats of Rajya Sabha from Haryana, scheduled to be held on Monday. BJP’s Sanjay Bhatia, Congress party’s Dalit face Karamveer Baudh, and independent candidate Satish Nandal are in the fray for the two seats. Polling is scheduled to be held between 9am and 4pm at the committee room of the Haryana assembly, under the supervision of returning officer Pankaj Aggarwal. Notably, while Aggarwal reviewed the last-minute arrangements for voting and counting, both political parties, apprehending cross-voting, stood guard over their MLAs to protect them from being approached. It may be recalled that Congress had packed off its MLAs to Kufri in Himachal. “In case any MLA votes against the party line, he or she can be disassociated from the party, but they would continue to be a member of the legislative assembly as an MLA. Hence, Congress is more worried on this account,” said a source.It may be recalled that on the past two occasions, the Congress candidate had suffered defeat due to alleged cross-voting . “Speaker Harvinder Kalyan and CM Nayab Saini were among those who attended a mock poll session along with party and independent MLAs. The Congress party also conducted 2 rounds of mock drills for its MLAs in Chandigarh and Shimla,” the source added. In the 90-member Haryana Assembly, BJP dominates with 48 members, and it has support from 3 Independent MLAs; hence, its number goes to 51. Congress has 37 MLAs, and INLD has 2 MLAs. Those seeking election to Rajya Sabha will have to procure the maximum first preferential votes, with a minimum of 31 votes. BJP and Congress have a safe number, but the entry of Nandal have changed equations.“BJP and Independents are left with 20 votes, and in case INLD MLAs choose to vote for Nandal, the number will go to 22. Hence, Congress is largely required to protect its MLAs,” said a senior leader. “Our candidate will have a clear victory, and it is up to BJP who it wants to send to Rajya Sabha, as it has fielded two candidates,” said Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Hooda on Sunday. MSID: 129590002 413 |
