Congress, which has 17 members in the Assembly, has extended support to RK Anand. (File Photo)
A keen contest is in store for BJP-backed media baron Subhash Chandra and INLD-supported lawyer RK Anand, who are in the fray as Independents, for the June 11 Rajya Sabha polls from Haryana, while it will be a comfortable ride for Union Minister Birender Singh.
Polling for the two Rajya Sabha seats in Haryana will take place on Saturday, Assembly Secretary RK Nandal said.
Congress, which has 17 members in the Assembly, has extended support to Mr Anand.
Mr Chandra had said that he was in touch with individual legislators in the 90-member Assembly and exuded confidence that he will have a comfortable victory.
Both Mr Chandra and Mr Anand are vying for the second Rajya Sabha seat falling vacant from Haryana.
At present, BJP has 47 legislators in the 90-member Assembly, INLD has 19, Congress 17 (with Kuldeep Bishnoi's two-member HJC merging with the party recently), BSP 1, SAD 1 and 5 are Independents.
While Union Minister Birender Singh is assured of a comfortable win owing to BJP's numbers in the House, Mr Chandra still needs support of some INLD or Congress legislators to ensure his victory.
Apprehending that some of its legislators may not toe the party line, especially after BJP-backed Subhash Chandra claimed support of at least two INLD legislators, a dozen-odd legislators of the party were sent off to a hill station in Uttarakhand a few days ago.
BJP, with the support of five Independents and one BSP legislator, has the support of 52 legislators in the 90-member House.
It needs 31 votes to wrest the first seat but it does not have adequate numbers to get the second candidate elected.
The two seats occupied by Union Ministers Birender Singh and Suresh Prabhu will fall vacant on August 1.
Mr Prabhu has been nominated from Andhra Pradesh. The two were elected in by-elections held in 2014.