Haryana Rajya Sabha polls: BJP and Congress win one seat each
BJP and Congress won one seat each in Haryana’s Rajya Sabha elections amid allegations of cross-voting and voting secrecy violations during the polling process.
Chandigarh (The Uttam Hindu): The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the main opposition Congress secured one seat each in the Rajya Sabha elections held in Haryana on Tuesday. The polls also witnessed allegations of violation of voting secrecy and cross-voting during the process.
The two seats were won by BJP’s Sanjay Bhatia and Congress candidate Karamveer Bauddh. BJP-backed independent candidate Satish Nandal faced defeat in the election.
A total of 88 MLAs cast their votes, while two Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) legislators—Arjun Chautala and Aditya Devi Lal—stayed away from voting. In the 90-member Haryana Assembly, BJP holds 48 seats, Congress has 37, INLD has 2 and independents account for 3 members.
After the completion of voting, both parties claimed victory for their respective candidates. However, counting of votes began late at night after receiving clearance from the Election Commission of India.
Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner alleging attempts to influence the fairness of the election. Citing the sensitivity of the matter, he requested a meeting with a party delegation before the declaration of results.
On the other hand, BJP alleged that two Congress MLAs—Parmvir Singh and Bharat Singh Beniwal—violated voting secrecy during the polling process. Congress, in turn, accused Transport Minister Anil Vij of violating election norms.
Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini cast the first vote of the day. Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that his party had won one of the two seats, calling it a victory.
Amid concerns of cross-voting, the Congress had earlier shifted its MLAs to resorts and hotels in Himachal Pradesh. Six MLAs did not travel due to personal reasons. On Sunday night, 31 MLAs were moved from Shimla to Kasauli, and on Monday morning, they were brought to Chandigarh under tight security along with party leaders B.K. Hariprasad and Deepender Hooda.