Around 31 Haryana Congress MLAs who had been staying in Himachal Pradesh since Friday evening left Kasauli in Solan district for Chandigarh on Monday morning under tight security to participate in the Rajya Sabha elections.
The MLAs were seen flashing victory signs before boarding three mini-buses at a resort in Kasauli as their motorcade set off for Chandigarh. Polling for the Rajya Sabha polls in Haryana is scheduled to take place between 9 am and 4 pm on Monday.
Amid fears of possible cross-voting, the Congress had shifted its Haryana MLAs to Kufri near Shimla on Friday evening and accommodated them in two resorts. A total of 37 rooms had been booked for the legislators.
On Saturday, the MLAs visited Chail for sightseeing. However, after hailstorm and rain lashed Shimla and nearby areas, they were moved to Kasauli, around 60 km from Chandigarh, on Sunday and accommodated in a hotel there.
Entry to the hotel was restricted. Only hotel staff and Congress leaders were allowed inside, while media personnel were kept at a distance.
Leader of the Opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, Jairam Thakur, criticised the move, saying bringing Haryana Congress MLAs to Shimla and keeping them in a luxury hotel ahead of the poll was an “abduction of democracy”.
Thakur also claimed that the MLAs’ mobile phones had been switched off. He alleged they were kept inside a “human chain” and were not allowed to step out, adding that the Congress no longer trusts its own legislators.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has not commented on the issue so far. Two Rajya Sabha seats from Haryana will fall vacant as BJP members Kiran Choudhry and Ram Chander Jangra are set to complete their terms on April 9.
The candidates in the fray include BJP’s Sanjay Bhatia, Congress’ Karamvir Singh Boudh, and BJP-backed Independent candidate Satish Nandal. Each candidate requires 31 votes to win a seat in the Upper House.
The Congress has 37 MLAs in the Haryana Assembly, enough to help its candidate secure a seat. However, the possibility of cross-voting could affect the outcome. In the 90-member Haryana Assembly, the ruling BJP has 48 MLAs, the Indian National Lok Dal has two legislators, while three members are Independents.
Also read: Himachal budget to focus on self-reliance: Sukhu
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