Voting for RS polls ends in Haryana, 1 MLA abstains

June 10, 2022 14:10

Congress MLAs cast their vote

Voting in the Rajya Sabha elections ends in Haryana. 89 MLAs have voted in Haryana so far in the 90-member Vidhan Sabha. One MLA abstains.

Independent legislator Balraj Kundu decided to abstain, saying the ruling BJP has been hit by scams while the Congress has "insulted" people by fielding outsider Ajay Maken.

Congress' Kuldeep Bishnoi was among the MLAs who cast vote immediately after polling began at 9 am while many of his party legislators reached here from Raipur via Delhi to cast their vote later in the day.

In Haryana, voting took place for two seats.

The MLAs of the ruling BJP and some of its ally JJP were lodged in a resort near Chandigarh. The Congress legislators were also in a resort in Chhattisgarh amid apprehension of poaching.

While the BJP, with 40 MLAs in the 90-member Haryana Assembly, has nine more than the 31 first preference votes required for a straight win, the contest has become keen for the second seat with entry of media baron Kartikeya Sharma, an Independent.

He has the backing of BJP-JJP combine, most of the Independents, and Gopal Kanda, lone MLA of the Haryana Lokhit Party.

The BJP has fielded former Minister Krishan Lal Panwar, while Ajay Maken, a former Union minister, is the Congress nominee.

The Congress has 31 members in the state Assembly, just enough to help its candidate win a seat. Its prospects could be in jeopardy in case of cross-voting.

Kuldeep Bishnoi, the younger son of former Haryana chief minister, the late Bhajan Lal, is reportedly miffed with the party as he did not find any position in the new state Congress unit when it was reconstituted in April. In the 90-member Haryana Assembly, the BJP has 40 MLAs while the Congress has 31.

The JJP, an ally of the BJP, has 10 legislators, while the Indian National Lok Dal and Haryana Lokhit Party have one each. There are seven Independents.

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