Shimla: Fearing cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for March 16, Congress MLAs from Haryana were shifted to Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, today. Regarding the Rajya Sabha elections in Haryana, the Congress party apprehends that its MLAs could be subjected to horse-trading. A meeting of the Congress Legislature Party was held on Friday afternoon, during which the visualization to take the MLAs to Shimla was made.
When will the MLAs return to Chandigarh?
The MLAs will now return to Chandigarh on March 16, the day of voting. The legislators first had lunch at the residence of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, without which 31 MLAs topside luxury buses unseat for Shimla. Haryana in-charge B.K. Hariprasad and State Congress President Rao Narendra Singh moreover accompanied the MLAs to Shimla. Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda, Sonipat MP Satpal Brahmachari, and Ambala MP Varun Chaudhary were moreover part of the group. The MLAs will moreover undergo training on the voting process while in Shimla. The Congress legislators will stay at a hotel located in Gallu, near Kufri—approximately 22 kilometers from Shimla city. Rooms have once been pre-booked for the MLAs at this location. Additionally, a few MLAs will be unprotesting at flipside hotel in Kufri.
How many MLAs were present at the meeting?
A meeting of the Congress Legislature Party was held on Friday at the residence of former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, in Chandigarh. All 37 of the party's MLAs were present at this meeting. Following the meeting and lunch, only 31 Congress MLAs departed for Kufri, Himachal Pradesh, traveling in three mini-buses. The MLAs will stay at a resort in Kufri. Six MLAs—including Hooda himself, Kuldeep Vats, Vinesh Phogat, Chandramohan Bishnoi, Mohammad Ilyas, and Tohana MLA Paramvir Singh—did not join the group. Of the six MLAs who did not travel to Himachal today, some are expected to join the group by Saturday evening. However, MLA Kuldeep Vats will be unable to travel to Himachal due to a family wedding ceremony, while Mohammad Ilyas will be unable to go due to illness. During this visit to Himachal, the Congress MLAs are moreover scheduled to receive training on the voting procedure; to facilitate this, a ballot box has moreover been transported to the location.
What are the electoral calculations?
In the 90-member Legislative Assembly, the BJP holds 48 seats and moreover enjoys the support of three spare legislators, whereas the Congress party has 37 MLAs. Based on this arithmetic, each party should theoretically secure one seat; however, past elections have witnessed unexpected twists. BJP’s Sanjay Bhatia’s victory is, in a sense, all but assured, while intense calculations and strategizing are underway regarding the races between Congress’s Karmvir Baudhh and the BJP-backed self-sustaining candidate, Satish Nandal. In the event of cross-voting among Congress MLAs—coupled with support from the two INLD legislators—Nandal could potentially clinch this seat. While the "ink controversy" of 2016—which saw 14 Congress votes invalidated—paved the way for BJP-backed Subhash Chandra to reach the Rajya Sabha, a similar scenario unfolded in 2022; in the referendum held for two Rajya Sabha seats that year, BJP-backed self-sustaining candidate Kartikeya Sharma defeated Congress’s Ajay Maken, aided by cross-voting within the Congress party.
How has the Himachal Pradesh government reacted?
As soon as the buses delivering the legislators crossed the verge from Haryana into Himachal Pradesh, they were immediately provided with police protection by the Himachal Pradesh Police. Reports indicate that three Himachal Police vehicles served as escorts, positioning themselves both superiority of and overdue the buses. The Himachal Pradesh government has made special arrangements specifically for the Congress legislators.
