In Haryana, Congress Dilemma May Help The Political Comeback Of RK Anand

New Delhi: The Congress is caught in a dilemma in Haryana over Rajya Sabha elections. The party has not fielded any candidates for the elections on June 11, and the leadership can't decide whether they should vote or abstain.

Here's why: The BJP has two candidates in the state -- former Congressman and Union Minister Virender Singh who has an easy victory ahead of him. But the contest their second candidate --- media baron of Zee Group Subhash Chandra - is facing is what makes it interesting.

Mr Chandra's opponent is the Indian National Lok Dal  candidate and disgraced lawyer RK Anand. In 2014, Mr Anand had contested the Lok Sabha elections on an INLD ticket as well but lost.

A majority of Congress leaders were in favour of abstaining because RK Anand belongs to a party the Congress couldn't be seen as helping.

A section of the Congress says if the party abstains, it will leave the field to the BJP's Mr Chandra, who is also likely to have the backing of some rebel MLAs too. "The message from INLD then will be that the Congress had an understanding with Mr Chandra,'' explained one senior leader. "This will spoil things for Bhupinder Hooda's image.''

If the Congress does not abstain, its 17 votes, along with the 19 votes of INLD can lead to a victory for RK Anand, who needs only 31 to win. "This will send the message that Congress supported INLD as a vote against communalism," said a senior Congress leader.

NDTV has learnt that four legislators from the Hooda camp met with senior leadership in Delhi on Thursday to convince them to go the RK Anand way.  Mr Hooda, however, hasn't given his go-ahead just yet.

If the Congress votes with the INLD, RK Anand -- who was barred from practising in 2009 after an NDTV sting showed him colluding as the defence lawyer with the prosecution team in the BMW case -- will see a comeback to mainstream politics.

As Bismarck said, politics is the art of the possible.