Media baron Subhash Chandra and lawyer RK Anand on Tuesday filed their nomination papers as independent candidates for the second Rajya Sabha seat falling vacant from Haryana.
The biennial elections to the Upper House are scheduled to be held on June 11 and Tuesday was the last date for filing nomination.
While Chandra claimed to have garnered support from the ruling BJP and some MlAs cutting across party lines, main Opposition Indian National lok Dal (INlD) threw its weight behind Anand, who has fought lok Sabha election in the past as an INlD candidate.
However, Anand at present is not a member of INlD, a party leader said. A day before, Union Minister and BJP leader Birender Singh had filed nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha polls from Haryana.
The decision of the INlD, which is accused by the Congress of being BJP’s ‘B’ team to back Anand, has made the contest an interesting one.
Asked about the candidate for the second Rajya Sabha seat, Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar had on Monday said, “Efforts are on with regard to the candidate. We (INlD and BJP) are hopeful that we can have a consensus.
I want that both candidates should be elected unopposed.”
While Anand was accompanied by leader of the Opposition in the Haryana Assembly Abhay Singh Chautala (INlD) along with other party MlAs for filing his nomination, Chandra went with some BJP and independent MlAs for filing the papers.
Talking to the mediapersons, Chandra said that he had sought support from members of the Haryana Assembly cutting across party lines. “I have got support from many members. Independent members have given their support... the BJP too has given its support. I am hopeful that I will get support from other parties as well,” he said.
When asked if his candidature would be weakened if Opposition parties, including Congress, do not lend support to him and the INlD decides to back Anand, Chandra said, “I have got support of BSP and other members as well...I have the support of MlAs of different parties.”
Replying to another question whether Congress and other Opposition MlAs would support him in the event of voting, Chandra said, “I don’t know what they will do. But MlAs will vote in numbers for me and I will win comfortably.”
The two seats currently occupied by Union Ministers Birender Singh and Suresh Prabhu, are falling vacant on August 1. They were elected following by-elections held in 2014.
Prabhu has been nominated from Andhra Pradesh. The BJP does not have adequate numbers to get two candidates elected from Haryana.
At present, the BJP has 47 MlAs in the 90-member Haryana Assembly, the INlD 19, Congress 17 (Kuldeep Bishnoi’s 2-member HJC merged with Congress recently), BSP 1 and SAD 1. There are five Independents.