Cong MLAs moved to Himachal before RS polls in Haryana

In an attempt to keep its flock together, Congress on Friday moved its Haryana MLAs to Himachal Pradesh ahead of the polling for two Rajya Sabha seats in Haryana on March 16, according to sources.

BJP’s Sanjay Bhatia, Congress’s Karamvir Singh Boudh and BJP-backed Independent candidate Satish Nandal are in the fray for the polls. The party legislators left from here late afternoon.

Congress, with 37 members in the Assembly, has the required strength to help its candidate win a seat. The prospects, however, could be in jeopardy in case of cross-voting. While Congress leaders and MLAs who attended a legislature party meeting here did not disclose the destination they were headed to, sources said that they have been moved to Himachal Pradesh, a neighbouring State ruled by the party. The MLAs will return shortly before the voting, they said.

The Congress MLAs assembled at the residence of CLP leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda, where the meeting was held, and later on most legislators left in two tempo travellers.

Hooda asserted that not only will his party's candidate win, but may get over and above 37 votes.

Haryana Congress president Rao Narender Singh and party general secretary incharge of Haryana, BK Hariprasad, party MPs including Deepender Singh Hooda and Varun Chaudhary, were also accompanying the party legislators. However, at least five legislators were not going due to prior family engagements or health reasons, sources said.

Bhupinder Singh Hooda is also staying back.

Before leaving, while talking to reporters, Congress MLA Jassi Petwar did not disclose the destination they were headed to, but said they were going for a “training session” as nearly half of the party legislators were first-timers and voting process in the Rajya Sabha polls involves technical points.

Two Rajya Sabha seats from Haryana are falling vacant. BJP members Kiran Choudhry and Ram Chander Jangra are set to complete their terms on April 9.

The ruling BJP has 48 MLAs, Congress has 37, the INLD has two MLAs and three legislators are Independents in the 90-member Haryana Assembly, with 31 votes each required for two candidates to make it to the Rajya Sabha from Haryana.

In 2022, Congress candidate Ajay Maken had lost in the Rajya Sabha polls from Haryana despite the party having the required strength of 31 then to win the seat.

In a jolt to the Congress, BJP’s Krishan Lal Panwar and BJP-JJP-backed Independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma were declared elected in June 2022 for the two Rajya Sabha seats from Haryana.

In the previous Assembly, Congress had 31 MLAs in the 90-members which were enough to secure Maken’s win. However, the then party legislator Kuldeep Bishnoi (now with the BJP) cross-voted while another vote was declared invalid.

Speaking to reporters at his residence after the MLAs left, Hooda asserted that Congress’s Karamvir will win one of the two seats.

Hooda said all 37 MLAs participated in the Congress Legislature Party meeting.

“Our candidate will get all the 37 votes and maybe over and above that, Hooda said.

When asked where the Congress MLAs have been send, Hooda, who mostly spoke in a lighter vein during the media interaction, said, “I have not send them anywhere, they may have gone on their own. But I did not send anyone... but they will return before the voting.”

“I don't know who has gone where and who has not,” Hooda said to another question.

When asked is Congress indulging in “resort politics” because it fears cross-voting, he said, “Who is doing resort politics?”

Asked that the State Congress chief and party’s Haryana affairs incharge are accompanying the legislators, still he does not have information where they have gone, Hooda quipped, “What do I know, have they asked me? You should have asked them.”

To another question, Hooda said no rival candidate or party had approached any Congress MLA. No MLA is going to accept anyone’s pressure.

The MLAs will show their marked ballot to the authorised agent, he said to another query.

On BJP-backed Independent candidate Nandal relying on cross-voting from the Congress to secure a win, Hooda, who was recently asked that there were speculations that some Congress legislators may cross-vote, had replied, “Such speculations are only in the media.”

Nandal, who had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Assembly polls as a BJP nominee, on Thursday filed his nomination as an Independent, becoming the third entrant in the contest after Sanjay Bhatia and Karamvir Singh Boudh.

Polling will be held on March 16 between 9 am and 4 pm.