Chandigarh, March 14 Haryana BJP MLAs held a meeting here on Saturday to strategize for the Rajya Sabha elections on Monday for two seats in the state.
There was also a training session for the MLAs, especially the first-timers, to explain the voting process to them in detail.
Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and Haryana BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli were also present during the meeting held at a hotel here, along with ministers including Mahipal Dhanda, Arti Singh Rao, and Shruti Choudhry.
Sanjay Bhatia of the BJP, Karamvir Singh Boudh of the Congress, and Independent candidate Satish Nandal are contesting for the two seats. The BJP is supporting Nandal for the second seat.
Speaking to reporters before the meeting, minister Mahipal Dhanda said that many first-time MLAs need to be familiar with the voting process.
"Training for MLAs is a good thing. Because one small mistake while marking a vote can make the vote invalid," he said.
Sources said that in addition to explaining the voting process to the MLAs, the party will also strategize for the elections.
In an attempt to keep its members united, the Congress, after holding a meeting of its legislators here on Friday, moved its MLAs to Himachal Pradesh ahead of the polling. The ruling BJP has 48 MLAs, the Congress has 37, the INLD has two MLAs, and there are three Independent legislators in the 90-member Haryana assembly, with 31 votes each required for two candidates to make it to the Rajya Sabha from Haryana.
The Congress, with 37 members, has the required strength to help its candidate win a seat. However, the equation could change if there is cross-voting.
When asked about the Congress moving its MLAs to Himachal Pradesh, Badoli said, "It is their strategy what they want to do."
Asked further about the Congress candidate losing his seat despite the party having the required strength to win in the 2022 Rajya Sabha elections, Badoli quipped, "This is the land of Haryana; miracles happen here all the time."
The two Rajya Sabha seats from Haryana are falling vacant as BJP members Kiran Choudhry and Ram Chander Jangra are set to complete their terms on April 9.
In 2022, Congress candidate Ajay Maken lost to the BJP-JJP backed Independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma despite the party having the required strength of 31 then to win the seat. The then party legislator Kuldeep Bishnoi (now with the BJP) cross-voted, while another vote was declared invalid.
Nandal had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 assembly polls as a BJP nominee. He would need 17 second preference votes from the BJP, three votes from the Independent MLAs, two votes from the INLD, and at least eight votes from the Congress legislators for victory.
Polling will be held on March 16 between 9 am and 4 pm, and votes will be counted from 5 pm on the same day.
