This Article is From Jun 10, 2022

"No Breach": BJP Demand To Cancel 2 Congress Votes In Haryana Rejected

Soon after the last vote was cast around 5 pm, a BJP delegation of Union ministers Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Jitendra Singh met with the election officer with their complaint. The poll returning officer, however, said there was no violation in voting.

'No Breach': BJP Demand To Cancel 2 Congress Votes In Haryana Rejected

Of the total 90 members of the House, 89 cast their votes, officials said at the end of the polling.

New Delhi:

As voting ended for two Rajya Sabha seats in Haryana this evening, the ruling BJP sought the cancellation of votes cast by Congress MLAs Kiran Choudhary and BB Batra, alleging that they showed their preference of votes to several people other than the party agent, in violation of secrecy.

Soon after the last vote was cast around 5 pm, a BJP delegation of Union ministers Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Jitendra Singh met with the election officer with their complaint. The poll returning officer, however, said there was no violation in voting.

"I have seen the videography very carefully and found that there was no breach of privacy or secrecy of the ballot paper," said the officer.

Of the total 90 members of the House, 89 cast their votes, officials said at the end of the polling.

Independent legislator Balraj Kundu abstained from voting.

The BJP fielded former minister Krishan Lal Panwar and former Union minister Ajay Maken was the Congress candidate. Media baron Kartikeya Sharma contested as an Independent backed by the BJP.

Both KL Panwar and Kartikeya Sharma wrote to the Election Commission alleging that the two Congress MLAs had shown their ballot papers to "unauthorised persons" after marking them.

Congress's Kuldeep Bishnoi was among the first to cast their votes immediately after polling began at 9 am

Most of his party MLAs arrived from Raipur via Delhi later.

The Congress had shifted its MLAs to Raipur a week ago, fearing poaching.

Mr Bishnoi was not among the Congress MLAs who were sequestered in a resort in Raipur. After voting, Mr Bishnoi, who has been disenchanted with his party for some time, told reporters that he had voted "as per my conscience".

Congress MLA Kuldeep Vats claimed that Mr Bishnoi had voted for the party's candidate.

The Rajya Sabha polls are critical for former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to prove his credentials after the Congress recently replaced Kumari Selja as its state unit chief with his loyalist Udai Bhan.

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.

In the second seat, media baron Kartikeya Sharma's entry as an Independent backed by the BJP has escalated the fight. Mr Sharma has the backing of the BJP-JJP combine, most of the Independents, and Gopal Kanda, the lone MLA of the Haryana Lokhit Party.

The Congress has 31 members in the state Assembly, just enough to help its candidate win a seat.

Two Rajya Sabha seats from Haryana will fall vacant in August with the terms of media baron Subhash Chandra and BJP leader Dushyant Gautam expiring.

(With PTI inputs)

.