Congress: Rajya Sabha polls: Congress alleges BJP tried ‘vote chori’ in Haryana, warns cross-voters of strict action | India News

One seat each for BJP and Congress after a tense overnight count

BJP’s Sanjay Bhatia and Congress’ Karambir Singh Boudh have been elected to the Rajya Sabha from Haryana.Bhatia, a former Lok Sabha MP from Karnal, won the first seat comfortably with 39 first preference votes. Boudh, a retired Haryana government employee and a prominent Dalit activist who currently serves as the coordinator of the National Scheduled Castes Department of the Congress, bagged the second seat with 28 votes.Independent candidate Satish Nandal got 16 votes, making it a narrow contest for the second seat in what was otherwise comfortable arithmetic for the Congress.Under the Rajya Sabha election formula, the quota required to win a seat was 2,767 votes worth, and both Bhatia and Boudh crossed that mark, leaving no room for transfer of votes.

Dipender Hooda alleges ‘vote theft’, says BJP has tried to ‘kill democracy’

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Congress MP Dipender Singh Hooda congratulated the party leadership and welcomed Buddh’s victory, but launched a scathing attack on the BJP over the way the polls were conducted.“In Haryana, under the cover of night, the BJP has tried to kill democracy and indulge in vote theft,” Hooda alleged, according to PTI.He claimed that the BJP “has no faith in democracy” and only wanted to “grab power”, but said Congress legislators and workers were vigilant and ensured the victory of Baud, whom he described as someone who works for social justice.As quoted by news agency ANI, Hooda said the BJP had resorted to “every possible strategy” and “such unethical politics for just one Rajya Sabha seat has not been seen anywhere in the country before today.”

Congress charges, horse-trading, favoritism of Returning Officer

Hooda alleged that the BJP had tried “all sorts of tricks”, including encouraging cross-voting and trying to win seats through horse-trading.He also claimed that when it did not succeed, the BJP “activated its B-team INLD”, alleging that the Indian National Lok Dal did not clarify its position until polling day.“When more than 30 votes were already cast in favor of the Congress, the INLD ran away from the vote,” Hooda alleged.He then accused the BJP of influencing the Election Commission and favoring the Returning Officer.“The returning officer showed bias and canceled four of our votes, even though all of them were valid. This was done after another election officer had already placed the same vote in a valid tray. This shows that the BJP was indulging in ‘vote theft’ in the Rajya Sabha elections,” Hooda said.Further, Hooda added, “The 4 votes that were declared invalid during our counting are all valid… This is a victory for democracy.”

Congress admits cross-voting, says ‘toughest action’ is coming

Even while attacking the BJP, the Congress admitted that some of its MLAs had cross-voted.Hooda said some Congress MLAs in Haryana were involved in cross-voting and warned that action would be taken.“Among our MLAs who have sold their conscience and integrity – not only them, but even their next generation will be held accountable to the people of Haryana. The Congress party is going to take the strictest possible action against those MLAs,” he said.Hooda also said that the people would not forgive those MLAs, while those who remained loyal to the party despite “temptations and pressures” gained more respect among the people.

Five votes invalid, INLD abstains

The election saw several twists and turns.Two MLAs from the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) abstained, reducing the number of valid votes in the 90-member Haryana Assembly to 88 at the start of polling.INLD leaders Abhay Singh Chautala and Aditya Devi Lal said the party decided to skip it “putting public sentiments first”.Later, five votes were declared invalid – four of the Congress and one of the BJP, officials said.After both the Congress and the BJP approached the Election Commission alleging violation of the secrecy of the vote, the Election Commission declared Congress MLA Parambir Singh’s vote invalid.Ballot annulment became a major flashpoint with Congress alleging electoral targeting and systemic bias.

Boudh called it a victory despite the ‘illegal vote annulment’

Congress winner Karambir Singh Boudh also questioned the annulment of the polls after his victory.ANI quoted Boudh as saying, “The votes were invalidated, but I got the blessings of the Congress party and the people. I got love from the top leadership of the Congress.”Congress leaders called his win politically significant, especially after BJP leaders dismissed him as a “weak candidate”.Hooda said a “befitting response” was given to those who called a social worker weak and described the result as a “victory for the Constitution”.Congress Scheduled Castes Division chief Rajendra Pal Gautam, who accompanied Hooda at the press conference, said he was “absolutely delighted” that the party had nominated “a true Ambedkarite” for the Rajya Sabha, PTI reported.

Fresh assembly flashpoint

The Rajya Sabha results on Tuesday also spilled over into the Haryana Assembly.In a separate development, Congress legislators staged a walkout from the Assembly, alleging that democratic values ​​were being undermined.Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal claimed that the House had become a “market where things are bought and sold” and alleged that ministers had openly admitted to “buying” MLAs.“The Constitution has been strangled, and that is why we are boycotting,” he said, as quoted by ANI.

BJP hit back

The BJP, however, rejected the Congress’ allegations and took the cross-voting issue back to the opposition.BJP winner Sanjay Bhatia said the Congress was angry because its own MLAs were not united.“It was the duty of the Congress to mobilize its workers and legislators, now they are accusing us of cross-voting their own workers, which is not right,” Bhatia said.Haryana minister Mohipal Dhanda also rejected the Congress’ allegations, saying that independent candidates had the right to seek votes and alleged that the Congress was “holding their workers hostage”.

A narrow escape for Congress

Alleged cross-voting by five Congress MLAs, independent candidate Satish Nandal could have potentially tied with Boudh had BJP candidate Bhatia’s 11 second-preference votes and one more Congress MLA cross-voted for him.That arithmetic itself highlights how close the Congress came to losing a seat it was expected to win comfortably.In the end, despite bitter allegations of cross-voting, illegal ballots and horse-trading, the Congress managed to secure one of the two seats — but the result unleashed a new internal crisis on disgruntled legislators even as it fueled a new political battle with the BJP over the conduct of the polls.