Daijiworld Media Network - Chandigarh

Chandigarh, Mar 17: The Congress managed to wrest a Rajya Sabha seat in Haryana in a dramatic and closely fought election, with its candidate Karamvir Singh Boudh emerging victorious despite cross-voting and invalid ballots. The ruling BJP also secured a seat with Sanjay Bhatia winning comfortably.

Boudh secured 28 first-preference votes, falling short of the required 31, even though Congress has 37 MLAs. The outcome was impacted by cross-voting by five Congress MLAs and invalidation of four Congress votes and one BJP vote. Despite the setback, Boudh clinched victory after second-preference votes were counted.

The contest turned intense with the entry of BJP-backed Independent candidate Satish Nandal, which complicated the electoral arithmetic. While the BJP, with 48 MLAs and support from three Independents, ensured Bhatia’s win, it hoped cross-voting would help Nandal secure the second seat. However, despite gaining BJP’s second-preference votes, Nandal fell short of Boudh’s tally.

The result came as a relief for the Opposition, especially after setbacks in states like Bihar and Odisha where cross-voting had affected outcomes. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini claimed that five Congress MLAs had cross-voted, while officials confirmed five invalid votes, including one from the BJP.

Congress leaders reacted strongly, with state in-charge B K Hariprasad warning of action against “betraying” MLAs. Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda termed it a “victory of democracy,” accusing the BJP of attempting “vote theft” for a third candidate.

The run-up to counting witnessed high drama, with allegations of violation of voting secrecy and bias against the returning officer. The Congress even approached the Election Commission with complaints, delaying the counting process.

Meanwhile, Saini criticised the Congress for shifting its MLAs to Himachal Pradesh ahead of the polls, alleging lack of trust within the party.

Across the country, of the 37 Rajya Sabha seats, 26 were elected unopposed. The BJP secured 12 seats, followed by Congress with six, Trinamool Congress four, DMK three, BJD two, and others including JD(U), Shiv Sena, NCP factions, AIADMK, PMK, and Independents winning one each. Prominent winners include Nitish Kumar, Sharad Pawar, Abhishek Singhvi, Babul Supriyo, and Ramdas Athawale.