BJP MLAs in Haryana held a meeting here on Saturday to chalk out their strategy for Monday’s Rajya Sabha elections for two seats from the state. A training session was also organised for the legislators, particularly the first-time MLAs, to explain the voting procedure in detail.
Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and Haryana BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli were present at the meeting held at a hotel in Chandigarh. Ministers, including Mahipal Dhanda, Arti Singh Rao and Shruti Choudhry also attended the meeting.
Sanjay Bhatia of the BJP, Karamvir Singh Boudh of the Congress and Independent candidate Satish Nandal are contesting the two seats. The BJP is supporting Nandal for the second seat.
Speaking to mediapersons before the meeting, minister Mahipal Dhanda said several MLAs are first-time legislators and need to understand the voting process clearly. "Training for MLAs is a good thing. Because one dot here and there while marking a vote can make a vote invalid," he said.
According to sources, apart from explaining the voting process to the MLAs, the party leadership also discussed strategies for the upcoming elections.
Meanwhile, in a bid to keep its legislators together, the Indian National Congress held a meeting of its MLAs in Chandigarh on Friday and later shifted them to Himachal Pradesh ahead of the polling.
In the 90-member Haryana Assembly, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has 48 MLAs while the Congress has 37. The Indian National Lok Dal has two MLAs and there are three Independents. A candidate needs 31 votes to win a Rajya Sabha seat from the state.
With 37 MLAs, the Congress has the numbers required to ensure the victory of its candidate. However, the equation could change if there is cross-voting.
When asked about the Congress shifting its MLAs to Himachal Pradesh, Mohan Lal Badoli said it was the party’s own strategy. Referring to the 2022 Rajya Sabha polls, where the Congress lost despite having sufficient numbers, he remarked, “This is Haryana. Miracles keep happening here.”
The two Rajya Sabha seats from Haryana are falling vacant as BJP members Kiran Choudhry and Ram Chander Jangra will complete their terms on April 9.
In 2022, Congress candidate Ajay Maken lost the election to BJP-JJP backed Independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma, even though the Congress had the required strength of 31 votes at that time. Former Congress MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi, who is now with the BJP, had cross-voted, and another vote was declared invalid.
Satish Nandal had earlier contested the 2019 Assembly elections as a BJP candidate but lost. For victory this time, he would need 17 second-preference votes from the BJP, three votes from Independent MLAs, two from the INLD and at least eight votes from Congress legislators. Polling will be held on March 16 between 9 am and 4 pm. The counting of votes will begin at 5 pm the same day.
Also read: Congress MLAs moved to Shimla before Haryana RS polls
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