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The results came after counting began more than five hours late following complaints lodged by both the BJP and Congress over alleged violations during voting.
BJP’s Bhatia, Congress’ Boudh Elected as Counting Ends After Vote Secrecy Dispute. (File images)
Haryana Rajya Sabha Polls: The BJP and the Congress won one seat each in the elections for two Rajya Sabha seats in Haryana after voting was marred by complaints of violations of vote secrecy and allegations of cross-voting.
BJP’s Sanjay Bhatia and Congress’s Karamvir Singh Boudh were declared elected to the Rajya Sabha seats in keenly watched elections. The results came after counting began more than five hours late following complaints lodged by both the BJP and Congress over alleged violations during voting.
The seats were contested by BJP candidate Sanjay Bhatia, Congress nominee Karamvir Singh Boudh, and Independent candidate Satish Nandal.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, in a late-night press conference, congratulated both the leaders on their win, He described the election as “interesting”, while attacking the Congress for moving its MLAs to Himachal Pradesh ahead of the polling.
“I congratulate BJP candidate Sanjay Bhatia and Congress candidate Karmveer Bauddh for their victory… Congress does not have faith in its own MLAs. The way Congress kept its MLAs under house arrest and kept transferring them to different places every hour. This is also the first time in history that I have seen senior Congress leaders themselves becoming polling agents for Congress,” he said as quoted by news agency ANI.
#WATCH | Chandigarh | On Rajya Sabha elections, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini says, “I congratulate BJP candidate Sanjay Bhatia and Congress candidate Karmveer Bauddh for their victory… Congress does not have faith in its own MLAs. The way Congress kept its MLAs… pic.twitter.com/iOOuiqRU1o— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2026
The Chief Minister further lashed out at the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) for abstaining from voting and alleged that the party acted as a “B team” of the Congress.
“The INLD indirectly supported the Congress,” he claimed.
Replying to a question on the Independent candidate, Saini said, “How could they stop anyone from contesting the poll?”
What’s The Row?
A controversy over the secrecy of votes delayed the counting process in the Haryana Rajya Sabha Election, with complaints filed by both the Congress and the BJ against each other’s MLAs. Counting of votes, which were to take place at 5 pm after voting ended at 4 pm, began following a delay of over five hours.
Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that his party’s nominee Boudh had secured victory and termed the result a “victory of democracy”.
“This is a victory of ‘Prajatantar’ and defeat of ‘vote chori’,” Hooda told reporters, alleging that attempts were made to manipulate votes in favour of a third candidate.
Hooda said that from the beginning, one seat each belonged to Congress and the BJP. But they tried for “vote theft” for the third candidate, Hooda alleged. He added that the conduct of the returning officer was partisan.
Meanwhile, Haryana Minister Gaurav Gautam had also said earlier that their party nominee Sanjay Bhatia had won.
Speaking to reporters, BJP’s Bhatia claimed that five Congress MLAs did cross-vote.
Officials said five votes were declared invalid — four belonging to Congress MLAs and one from the BJP.
BJP, Congress Level Allegations Against Each Other
The election saw three candidates in the fray: BJP nominee Bhatia, Congress candidate Boudh and Independent Satish Nandal, who had the backing of the BJP.
INLD, which has two members in the 90-member Haryana Assembly, had abstained from voting, with party leaders Abhay Singh Chautala and Aditya Devi Lal saying they have decided to make this decision keeping in view the people’s sentiments.
Earlier in the day, BJP leaders complained to the Election Commission of India alleging that two Congress MLAs had violated vote secrecy by failing to properly fold their ballots. The Congress, however, rejected the charge and filed a counter-complaint accusing Haryana minister Anil Vij of a similar violation.
Before the voting ended, state minister Krishan Kumar Bedi said that the BJP had complained to the Election Commission pertaining to “violation of vote secrecy” of two Congress MLAs — Bharat Singh Beniwal from Ellenabad and Paramvir Singh from Tohana.
“Two Congress MLAs did not have their ballot folded as it should have been, and violated the secrecy of their vote. We have complained to the Election Commission,” Bedi said.
However, Congress leader Ashok Arora said no complaint was filed at the time these legislators voted, claiming that it was deliberately filed after 4 pm.
He further said the Congress too filed a complaint against senior BJP leader and minister Anil Vij, accusing him of violating vote secrecy.
Haryana Rajya Sabha Polls
The BJP has 48 MLAs, the Congress has 37, the INLD has two MLAs, and three legislators are Independents in the 90-member Haryana assembly. Nandal’s candidature was proposed by three independents — Savitri Jindal, Rajesh Joon and Devender Kadyan — and seven BJP MLAs.
The two Rajya Sabha seats from Haryana fell vacant as BJP members Kiran Choudhry and Ram Chander Jangra are set to complete their terms on April 9.
Nandal had lost to Congress leader Hooda from the Garhi-Sampla-Kiloi constituency in Rohtak district in the 2019 assembly polls. Before joining the BJP, he was also with the INLD.
BJP candidate Bhatia is a former Lok Sabha MP from Karnal.
Congress’s Boudh, a retired Haryana government employee, has been a Dalit activist who has raised issues pertaining to the community on various platforms.
(With inputs from agencies)
Chandigarh, India, India
March 17, 2026, 06:41 IST
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