Amid reports of at least one of 31 MLAs missing from the hotel of Raipur, Chhattisgarh where they are staying, senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday claimed that Congress party’s official candidate Ajay Maken has full support of all 31 MLAs. His party will win one of the two Rajya Sabha seats in Haryana up for elections this week, he added.
Talking to reporters, Hooda said, "We have the support of all our MLAs, we have 31 MLAs (of Haryana Congress) with us but one is ill." The Congress has fielded its general secretary Ajay Maken, while the BJP has nominated Krishan Lal Panwar.
Kartikeya Sharma, son of former union minister Venod Sharma and son-in-law of former Speaker Kuldeep Sharma, has also entered the fray as an independent with the BJP supporting him, making the contest for the second seat interesting. Polling for two Rajya Sabha seats will be held on June 10.
With the party facing a tough fight in Rajya Sabha elections in Haryana, Congress MLAs are staying at a resort in Naya Raipur, Chhattisgarh ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and newly-elected Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Shukla have been appointed as Observers to Haryana, where the entry of media baron Kartikeya Sharma as independent backed by the BJP and JJP has created trouble for Congress nominee Maken.
Congress sources said that Bishnoi has been pacified as the leadership reached out to him. Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is personally said to have spoken to Bishnoi, who has kept his cards close to the chest.
As many as 31 MLA votes are required to win the first seat, and 30 for the second. The BJP, which has 40 MLAs, is sure to get one seat and it will have nine surplus MLA votes. The Congress has 31 MLAs in total and needs as many votes to win a first seat, but a sulking Kuldeep Bishnoi could throw a spanner.
The ruling BJP is seeking to disturb the Congress' calculations with the help of 10 MLAs of the JJP, cross-voting and by wooing Independents and lawmakers from other parties.
In the 90-member Haryana Assembly, the BJP has 40 MLAs while the Congress has 31. The JJP, which is an ally of the BJP, has 10 legislators while the Indian National Lok Dal and Haryana Lokhit Party one each. There are seven Independents.