Chandigarh, March 16 – Voting for the two Rajya Sabha seats in Haryana began here on Monday, with counting of ballots scheduled to start at 5 p.m.
Three candidates are in the running. They are Sanjay Bhatia of the BJP, Karamvir Boudh of the Congress (a Dalit activist), and Satish Nandal, an independent candidate backed by the BJP.
Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini cast the first vote of the day.
The Congress, which has 37 legislators in the 90-member House, was concerned about cross-voting and had moved its MLAs to resorts and hotels in Himachal Pradesh. Six of them did not go to Himachal for personal reasons.
On Sunday night, the Congress shifted 31 legislators from Shimla to Kasauli. Accompanied by party general secretary and Haryana in-charge B.K. Hariprasad, and Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda, all the lawmakers were taken directly from their hotel to Chandigarh in a convoy on Monday morning, amidst tight security.
Upon reaching Chandigarh, all the MLAs will first arrive at the residence of Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Hooda in Sector 7. After having breakfast there, they will proceed to cast their votes in the legislative Assembly.
With 47 legislators, this will be CM Saini’s first major political test since assuming office. Winning both seats would be seen as a testament to his strong political grip and strategic acumen.
"A victory could further elevate his stature and influence within the party high command," admitted a senior BJP minister.
A candidate needs 31 votes to win. With its 48 votes, the BJP can easily secure one seat.
The Congress has 37 votes. It is also in a position to win a seat.
The BJP's remaining 17 MLAs, along with three independent voters, are expected to vote for the BJP-backed independent candidate, Nandal.
If the two votes from the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) go to Nandal, he will still need an additional nine votes. The INLD may either support the BJP or abstain from backing Nandal.
The two Rajya Sabha seats will fall vacant as BJP members Kiran Choudhry and Ram Chander Jangra are set to complete their terms on April 9.
In the past, two instances of vote cancellations during the Rajya Sabha polls came to light, which altered the election results.
In 2016, the votes of 14 Congress MLAs were declared invalid. At that time, pens other than the prescribed ones containing purple ink were used.
The cancellation of the 14 votes paved the way for the victory of Independent candidate Subhash Chandra, who was backed by the BJP.
In 2022, the vote of one Congress MLA was declared invalid. Consequently, Ajay Maken lost to the BJP-backed Independent candidate, Kartikeya Sharma.
