Rajya Sabha polls: Congress' Karamvir Singh Boudh, BJP's Sanjay Bhatia win in Haryana

Congress staves off challenge from a BJP-back independent to wrest the seat

The Congress staved off a challenge from a BJP-back independent to wrest a seat in the Rajya Sabha elections in Haryana with its candidate Karamvir Singh Boudh winning in keenly-fought polls that also saw the ruling BJP's Sanjay Bhatia also registering a victory.

Boudh could manage only 28 first preference votes, three less than the required number for victory, despite the Congress having 37 MLAs. While five of them cross-voted, votes of four Congress MLAs were declared invalid besides one of a BJP lawmaker.

His victory was hanging in balance despite the Congress having enough MLAs in its support, as the entry of Satish Nandal, a BJP State vice president as an independent candidate had queered the pitch in which Bhatia's victory was certain.

Nandal was supported by the BJP in the hope that cross-voting from the 37-member Congress would help it to deal a blow to the latter. A winning candidate needed 31 first preference votes and the BJP had 48 MLAs besides the support of three independents. Two INLD MLAs abstained from voting.

With second preference votes of the BJP going to Nandal, he closed the gap but could not go past Boudh’s 28. At the end, the invalid vote of a BJP MLA appeared to have tilted the balance in favour of Boudh, whose surprise candidature had upset some Congress leaders.

The Haryana result also comes as a relief for the Opposition as the NDA had managed to win extra seats in Bihar and Odisha where Congress, RJD and BJD MLAs either cross-voted or remained absent from voting. 

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini claimed five Congress MLAs cross-voted and that Nandal lost by a narrow margin. Officials said five votes — four of Congress and one of the BJP — were declared invalid.

'Will face action'

Congress Haryana in-charge B K Hariprasad said that action would be taken against the MLAs who "betrayed" the party. Haryana Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda said he would not take their names, but people have understood who have cross-voted and they would take revenge for this.

The run-up to the counting had seen much drama, with the BJP alleging that two Congress MLAs had violated the secrecy of vote while Boudh filed a complaint that the returning officer was acting with partiality. The Congress also approached the Election Commission in Delhi with their complaint.

The counting, which was to start at 5 pm, did not begin till late night. 

Calling it a victory of democracy, Hooda said from the beginning, one seat each belonged to the Congress and the BJP but the ruling party tried for "vote theft" for the third candidate. "They tried all tactics. But the Congress has passed the 'agni pariksha'," he said.

Saini alleged that the Congress was holding its MLAs captive and transferring them to different places and it showed that the party did not trust its MLAs. He was referring to the MLAs being shifted to Himachal Pradesh days before the polls to ensure that there was no poaching.

"I have seen for the first time that the Congress did not trust its MLAs. The Congress is finished. It has no future," he said while accusing the INLD, whose two MLAs did not vote, of acting as a "B team" of the Congress. 

Rajya Sabha election winners

Seats: 37

Elected unopposed: 26

BJP: 12 

Congress: 6

Trinamool Congress: 4 

DMK: 3 

JD(U): 2

Shiv Sena, RPI(A), NCP, NCP(SP), BJD, AIADMK, PMK, UPPL, RLM, Independent: One each

Prominent winners: Nitish Kumar (JD-U), Nitin Nabin (BJP), Sharad Pawar (NCP-SP), Abhishek Singhvi (Congress), Tiruchi Siva (DMK), Babul Supriyo (Trinamool Congress), Ramdas Athawale (RPI-A), M Thambidurai (AIADMK), Upendra Kushwaha (RLM)