Congress to issue show-cause notices to Haryana MLAs who 'cross-voted' in RS polls

Chandigarh: The Congress on Tuesday said it will issue show-cause notices to its MLAs who allegedly cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha elections in Haryana, warning of strict disciplinary action.

"We are going to issue a show-cause notice to them," Congress general secretary in charge of Haryana, B K Hariprasad, told PTI over the phone.

Polling for two Rajya Sabha seats was held here on Monday. BJP's Sanjay Bhatia won one seat comfortably, while Congress candidate Karamvir Singh Boudh secured the other in a close contest against Independent candidate Satish Nandal.

Boudh's victory by a narrow margin came amid allegations that five Congress candidates allegedly cross-voted. Additionally, of the five votes declared invalid by the Returning Officer, four were reportedly cast by Congress legislators.

In the 90-member Haryana Assembly, two Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) legislators abstained from voting. Bhatia secured 39 first-preference votes to win the first seat. In the second seat, Boudh polled 28 votes, while Nandal got 16.

According to the Rajya Sabha election formula, the quota required to win a seat was 2767 (vote value), which both Bhatia and Boudh surpassed, eliminating the need for any transfer of votes.

However, sources said that had one more Congress MLA cross-voted, Nandal could have secured Bhatia's 11 second preference votes, reaching 28, sources said.

Congratulating the winning candidates in a late-night press conference, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said Nandal lost by just one vote -- referring to the narrow difference.

"Five Congress MLAs cross-voted and four of their votes were rejected," Saini said and highlighted that the BJP-backed Nandal had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Assembly polls as its nominee.

State Congress chief Rao Narender Singh warned that those who "betrayed" the party will face strict action. Hariprasad had told reporters late Monday that action would be taken against the MLAs who cross-voted and betrayed the party.

Leader of the Opposition in Haryana Assembly, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, told reporters that he would not name those involved but asserted that people have understood.

Attacking the BJP, Hooda said, "They tried all tactics. But Congress passed the 'Agni Pariksha' (by winning one seat)." Chief Minister Saini, however, on Monday, accused the Congress of confining its MLAs and shifting them to Himachal Pradesh just a few days before the Rajya Sabha polls.