<p>Chandigarh: The <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/congress">Congress</a> on Friday issued a show-cause notice to its fifth MLA from Haryana for alleged cross-voting during the recent Rajya Sabha elections.</p>.<p>The party had earlier issued similar notices to four other legislators in the state.</p>.<p>The notice was served to Jarnail Singh, the MLA from Ratia, by Dharampal Malik, the chairman of the Disciplinary Action Committee of Haryana Congress.</p>.<p>Rohit Jain, member secretary of the committee, confirmed the development, stating the action was taken regarding Singh' conduct during the polls.</p>.Congress issues show-cause notices to four Haryana MLAs for 'cross-voting in Rajya Sabha polls.<p>Jarnail Singh denied the allegations, describing himself as a disciplined soldier of the party. He claimed the move was an attempt to defame him and said that he had shown his marked ballot to the authorised party agent as per procedure.</p>.<p>The official notice cites "anti-party activities", alleging that during the election held on March 16, 2026, Singh cast his vote in a manner contrary to the prescribed procedure and the official direction, resulting in the cancellation/invalidity of his vote.</p>.<p>"The aforesaid act, if established, appears to be a deliberate deviation intended to defeat the party's official position and constitutes a serious breach of party discipline," the notice reads.</p>.<p>Singh has been asked to respond within seven days to explain why disciplinary action should not be initiated against him.</p>.<p>Polling for the two Rajya Sabha seats in Haryana was held on Monday.</p>.<p>The BJP's Sanjay Bhatia won one seat comfortably, while the Congress candidate, Karamvir Singh Boudh, secured the second seat in a close contest against Independent candidate Satish Nandal. Of the five votes declared invalid by the Returning Officer, four were reportedly cast by Congress legislators.</p>.<p>On Wednesday, the party had named the four legislators, including Naraingarh MLA Shalli Chaudhary, Sadhaura MLA Renu Bala, Punhana MLA Mohammad Illyas and Hathin MLA Mohammad Israil, suspected of defying the official line.</p>.<p>Shalli Chaudhary and Renu Bala denied the allegations on Thursday, stating that their names were being dragged into the controversy unnecessarily.</p>.<p>Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had maintained that five party MLAs had cross-voted and that the Congress high command has been apprised of the situation.</p>.<p>"These MLAs did not betray the party or me, but the people who elected them," Hooda, the leader of opposition in the Haryana Assembly, had said.</p>.<p>In an effort to prevent being influenced, the Congress had shifted its MLAs to a heavily guarded resort in Himachal Pradesh ahead of the polls. The MLAs returned to Chandigarh only on Monday morning, to cast their votes.</p>.<p>While the party secured a seat, the cross-voting episode exposed internal rifts and factionalism within the Haryana unit. </p>
<p>Chandigarh: The <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/congress">Congress</a> on Friday issued a show-cause notice to its fifth MLA from Haryana for alleged cross-voting during the recent Rajya Sabha elections.</p>.<p>The party had earlier issued similar notices to four other legislators in the state.</p>.<p>The notice was served to Jarnail Singh, the MLA from Ratia, by Dharampal Malik, the chairman of the Disciplinary Action Committee of Haryana Congress.</p>.<p>Rohit Jain, member secretary of the committee, confirmed the development, stating the action was taken regarding Singh' conduct during the polls.</p>.Congress issues show-cause notices to four Haryana MLAs for 'cross-voting in Rajya Sabha polls.<p>Jarnail Singh denied the allegations, describing himself as a disciplined soldier of the party. He claimed the move was an attempt to defame him and said that he had shown his marked ballot to the authorised party agent as per procedure.</p>.<p>The official notice cites "anti-party activities", alleging that during the election held on March 16, 2026, Singh cast his vote in a manner contrary to the prescribed procedure and the official direction, resulting in the cancellation/invalidity of his vote.</p>.<p>"The aforesaid act, if established, appears to be a deliberate deviation intended to defeat the party's official position and constitutes a serious breach of party discipline," the notice reads.</p>.<p>Singh has been asked to respond within seven days to explain why disciplinary action should not be initiated against him.</p>.<p>Polling for the two Rajya Sabha seats in Haryana was held on Monday.</p>.<p>The BJP's Sanjay Bhatia won one seat comfortably, while the Congress candidate, Karamvir Singh Boudh, secured the second seat in a close contest against Independent candidate Satish Nandal. Of the five votes declared invalid by the Returning Officer, four were reportedly cast by Congress legislators.</p>.<p>On Wednesday, the party had named the four legislators, including Naraingarh MLA Shalli Chaudhary, Sadhaura MLA Renu Bala, Punhana MLA Mohammad Illyas and Hathin MLA Mohammad Israil, suspected of defying the official line.</p>.<p>Shalli Chaudhary and Renu Bala denied the allegations on Thursday, stating that their names were being dragged into the controversy unnecessarily.</p>.<p>Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had maintained that five party MLAs had cross-voted and that the Congress high command has been apprised of the situation.</p>.<p>"These MLAs did not betray the party or me, but the people who elected them," Hooda, the leader of opposition in the Haryana Assembly, had said.</p>.<p>In an effort to prevent being influenced, the Congress had shifted its MLAs to a heavily guarded resort in Himachal Pradesh ahead of the polls. The MLAs returned to Chandigarh only on Monday morning, to cast their votes.</p>.<p>While the party secured a seat, the cross-voting episode exposed internal rifts and factionalism within the Haryana unit. </p>