Chandigarh, March 16 – Counting of votes for the two Rajya Sabha seats in Haryana began Monday night after it was delayed due to allegations by the BJP and Congress of violations of secrecy during the voting process.
The counting was scheduled to begin at 5 pm after voting concluded at 4 pm. It began after the election panel gave approval, according to official sources.
Before the voting concluded, Minister Krishan Kumar Bedi told reporters that the BJP had filed a complaint with the Election Commission regarding "violations of vote secrecy" by two Congress MLAs – Bharat Singh Beniwal from Ellenabad and Paramvir Singh from Tohana.
"Two Congress MLAs did not fold their ballots as required, violating the secrecy of their vote. We have filed a complaint with the Election Commission," Bedi said.
However, Congress leader Ashok Arora stated that no such complaint was filed at the time these legislators voted. He said it was deliberately filed after 4 pm.
Arora also stated that the Congress has filed a complaint against senior BJP leader and Minister Anil Vij, accusing him of violating vote secrecy.
When asked about the confidence in the election results, Congress MLA Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the Congress will win one seat, and the BJP will win the other.
Haryana BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli, when asked if an independent candidate would win, replied, "Based on the information available to us and our understanding of the situation, it seems there might be a 'miracle' in Haryana's election results."
Badoli also stated that their demand is for the elections to be held fairly.
Haryana Congress leader Rao Narender Singh termed the allegations of vote secrecy violations against his party MLAs as "incorrect". Congress candidate Karamvir Singh Boudh filed a complaint with the ECI against the returning officer for alleged partisan conduct.
Voting was held for the two seats, with the Indian National Lok Dal, which has two legislators, abstaining from voting.
BJP's Sanjay Bhatia, Congress' Karamvir Singh Boudh, and independent candidate Satish Nandal are contesting the election. The BJP has nominated Nandal, who unsuccessfully contested the 2019 assembly elections, as its candidate.
Nandal's candidature was proposed by three independents – Savitri Jindal, Rajesh Joon, and Devender Kadyan – and seven BJP MLAs.
Meanwhile, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to the Election Commission, alleging an attempt to interfere with the integrity of the Rajya Sabha election and seeking time for a party delegation to meet him.
In his letter, Kharge also attached a copy of the representation submitted to ECI filed by party candidate Boudh.
"There is a clear attempt to interfere with the integrity of the election, and it must be stopped/addressed by the ECI immediately. Furthermore, no disqualification of our legitimate voters/votes cast can be allowed in what is clearly a transparent attempt to taint/derail the process," the letter said.
"Given the time-sensitive nature of the matter, we request time immediately for a delegation led by Abhishek Manu Singhvi, along with senior leaders from the party to meet your good self before the declaration of the results," it said.
The Indian National Lok Dal, which has two MLAs in the 90-member Haryana Assembly, abstained from voting. Party leaders Abhay Singh Chautala and Aditya Devi Lal said they took the decision keeping in mind the sentiments of the people.
"People are tired of both the BJP and the Congress," Aditya Devi Lal told reporters.
In the 90-member Haryana assembly, the BJP has 48 MLAs, the Congress has 37, and the INLD has two legislators, while three are Independents.
Each of the two candidates in the Rajya Sabha polls requires 30 votes after the INLD abstained from voting.
The Congress MLAs, who had been moved to Himachal Pradesh ahead of the polling, returned to Chandigarh shortly after the polling commenced at 9 am and cast their votes.
Of the 37 Congress MLAs in the Haryana Assembly, a few did not go to Himachal Pradesh due to family commitments or health reasons. Senior Congress leader and former chief minister Hooda had also stayed back.
The party has the required strength to help its candidate win a seat. However, the equation could change due to cross-voting.
Earlier, Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, who is a BJP observer for the Rajya Sabha polls in Haryana, told reporters that he was concerned about the way the Congress moved their MLAs to Himachal Pradesh and kept a close eye on their movements.
Vij, who had recently fractured both his legs after a fall, arrived in a wheelchair to cast his vote.
On the Congress sending its MLAs to Himachal before polling, Vij said, "The Congress does not trust its MLAs, which is why they are taking them from here and there."
Independent candidate Nandal, while talking to reporters, said he was confident of his win. When it was pointed out that he did not have the required number, Nandal said he had approached all legislators and appealed to them to vote for him.
The two Rajya Sabha seats from Haryana fell vacant as BJP members Kiran Choudhry and Ram Chander Jangra are set to complete their terms on April 9.
BJP candidate Bhatia is a former Lok Sabha MP from Karnal.
Congress' Boudh, a retired Haryana government employee, has been a Dalit activist who has raised issues about the community on various platforms. Currently, the coordinator of the National Scheduled Castes Department of the Congress, Boudh is learnt to be the choice of party leader Rahul Gandhi.
In 2016 and 2022, the BJP-backed independents had won the election despite the Congress candidate having the required numbers on their side.
In 2022, Congress candidate Ajay Maken lost to BJP-JJP-backed Independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma despite the party having the required strength of 31 then to win the seat. The then Congress party legislator Kuldeep Bishnoi (now with the BJP) cross-voted while another vote was declared invalid.
In 2016, the votes of 14 Congress MLAs were declared invalid, leading to the loss of a party-backed independent candidate who was otherwise expected to win.