Chandigarh : Congress is preparing to confined its MLAs to prevent vote splitting in the Rajya Sabha elections. A luncheon has been arranged for all Congress MLAs in Chandigarh on March 13th. Afterward, they are planned to be transported together to Himachal Pradesh in luxury buses, where dinner will also be arranged for them.
According to party sources, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has agreed to this hosting. However, Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda has consistently maintained that Congress MLAs will not go anywhere and that the party is completely united. Despite this, the Congress’s central leadership is in no mood to take any risks.
Leadership and observers will be present
Haryana Congress in-charge BK Hariprasad and state president Rao Narendra Singh will also accompany the MLAs during this period. The party is also preparing to send observers from the center, although their names have not yet been made public.
On the other hand, the BJP has already appointed Gujarat Deputy CM Harsh Sanghvi as an observer for the Rajya Sabha elections. Sanghvi is considered close to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The BJP has instructed all its MLAs to stay in Chandigarh from March 14 to 16. Voting for the Rajya Sabha elections is scheduled for March 16.
Why the Congress High Command Became Alert
Two Rajya Sabha seats are falling vacant, and 31 votes are needed to win. The BJP has 48 MLAs, while the Congress has 37. According to this calculation, both parties were supposed to win one seat each. The BJP has nominated Sanjay Bhatia, while the Congress has fielded Karmaveer Baudh.
However, BJP leader Satish Nandal has entered the fray as an independent candidate. It was initially expected that he would withdraw, but that did not happen. This has made the contest interesting, and Congress fears cross-voting. Nandal can only win if around nine Congress MLAs cross-vote.
Past experiences also increase concerns
Congress is also remembering the ink scandal of 2016 and the cross-voting of 2022. In 2016, the votes of 14 Congress MLAs were invalidated due to the use of different colored ink, and BJP-backed Subhash Chandra won. In 2022, Congress candidate Ajay Maken lost due to cross-voting, and independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma won with BJP support.
Doubts also remain about sick MLAs
Among the 37 Congress MLAs, Punhana MLA Mohammad Ilyas has been ill for a long time and was unable to attend the budget session. Consequently, his voting status remains uncertain.
On the other hand, BJP MLA and Minister Anil Vij from Ambala Cantt has fractures in both legs and is on bed rest for a month. He also did not attend the budget session, although party sources say Vij may come to vote on polling day.