Jaipur, March 22 Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday termed the recent cross-voting by Congress MLAs in the Rajya Sabha elections in Haryana, Odisha, and Bihar as "unfortunate and condemnable".
In a post on X, Gehlot said that at a time when Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge are fighting to protect democracy, it is difficult to understand how MLAs are indulging in cross-voting despite the requirement of showing their ballots.
"The recent cross-voting by Congress MLAs in the Rajya Sabha elections held in Haryana, Odisha, and Bihar is very unfortunate and condemnable," he said.
"Our leaders, Mr. Rahul Gandhi and Mr. Kharge, are fighting a battle to save democracy. At such a time, it is beyond understanding how MLAs are daring to cross-vote despite showing their ballots," the former chief minister added.
Referring to the 2022 Rajya Sabha elections in Rajasthan, he said the Congress had demonstrated unity and loyalty to the party leadership, claiming that 126 MLAs voted in favour of party candidates despite the Congress having 102 legislators.
Gehlot said such support was possible due to the trust of the party's high command and the absence of inducements.
He also called for changes in voting rules for Rajya Sabha elections, suggesting that the membership of MLAs who vote against their party should be cancelled.
He said the current system of showing ballots is insufficient to curb alleged horse-trading in such elections.