Chandigarh/Shimla, March 13 – In an attempt to maintain party unity, the Congress moved its Haryana MLAs to Himachal Pradesh ahead of the polling for two Rajya Sabha seats in Haryana on March 16, according to sources.
BJP's Sanjay Bhatia, Congress' Karamvir Singh Boudh, and BJP-backed Independent candidate Satish Nandal are contesting the election.
The MLAs left Chandigarh in the late afternoon.
Sources said that the Congress MLAs, who arrived in Shimla around 8 pm, are staying in two hotels in Kufri, a suburb of Shimla city, and 37 rooms have been booked for them.
However, the state government and officials are not providing any information on the matter.
One of the resorts also has ample open space for airlifting. Earlier, a video went viral showing a convoy of Congress MLAs travelling to Shimla crossing Solan.
With 37 members in the Assembly, the Congress has the required strength to help its candidate win a seat. However, cross-voting could jeopardize this.
While Congress leaders and MLAs who attended a legislative party meeting here did not disclose their destination, sources said they have been moved to Himachal Pradesh, a neighboring state ruled by the party.
The MLAs will return before the voting, they said.
The Congress MLAs met at the residence of CLP leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda, where the meeting was held, and later most MLAs left in two tempo travellers.
Hooda asserted that not only will his party's candidate win, but will likely secure more than 37 votes.
Haryana Congress president Rao Narender Singh and party general secretary in charge of Haryana, B K Hariprasad, along with party MPs including Deepender Singh Hooda and Varun Chaudhary, were also with the party legislators.
However, at least five legislators were not going due to prior family commitments or health reasons. Bhupinder Singh Hooda is also staying back.
Before leaving, while talking to reporters, Congress MLA Jassi Petwar did not disclose their destination, but said they were going for a "training session" as nearly half of the party legislators were first-timers and the voting process in the Rajya Sabha polls involves technical points.
Two Rajya Sabha seats from Haryana are vacant. BJP members Kiran Choudhry and Ram Chander Jangra are set to complete their terms on April 9.
The ruling BJP has 48 MLAs, Congress has 37, INLD has two MLAs, and three legislators are Independents in the 90-member Haryana assembly, requiring 31 votes each for two candidates to make it to the Rajya Sabha from Haryana.
In 2022, Congress candidate Ajay Maken had lost in the Rajya Sabha polls from Haryana despite the party having the required 31 votes.
In a setback for the Congress, BJP's Krishan Lal Panwar and BJP-JJP backed Independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma were declared elected in June 2022 for the two Rajya Sabha seats from Haryana.
In the previous Assembly, Congress had 31 MLAs in the 90-member assembly, which was enough to secure Maken's win. However, then party legislator Kuldeep Bishnoi (now with the BJP) cross-voted while another vote was declared invalid.
Speaking to reporters at his residence after the MLAs left, Hooda asserted that Congress' Karamvir will win one of the two seats.
Hooda said all 37 MLAs participated in the Congress Legislature Party meeting here.
"Our candidate will get all the 37 votes, and possibly more," Hooda said.
When asked where the Congress MLAs have been sent, Hooda, who mostly spoke in lighter vein during the media interaction, said, "I have not sent them anywhere; they may have gone on their own. But I did not send anyone... but they will return before the voting."
"I don't know who has gone where and who has not," Hooda said in response to another question.
When asked if Congress is engaging in "resort politics" because it fears cross-voting, he said, "Who is doing resort politics?"
Asked that the State Congress chief and party's Haryana affairs incharge are accompanying the legislators, he still does not have information where they have gone, Hooda quipped, "What do I know, have they asked me? You should have asked them."
To another question, Hooda said no rival candidate or party had approached any Congress MLA. No MLA is going to accept anyone's pressure.
The MLAs will show their marked ballot to authorised agent, he said in response to another query.
On BJP-backed Independent candidate Nandal relying on cross-voting from the Congress to secure a win, Hooda, who was recently asked that there were speculations that some Congress legislators may cross-vote, had replied, "Such speculations are only in the media."
Nandal, who had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 assembly polls as a BJP nominee, filed his nomination as an Independent on Thursday, becoming the third entrant in the contest after Sanjay Bhatia and Karamvir Singh Boudh.
Polling will be held on March 16 between 9 am and 4 pm, and votes will be counted from 5 pm the same day.