RS polls: In touch with some Cong MLAs, says Jai Ram
With former Himachal chief minister Virbhadra Singh’s lieutenant Harsh Mahajan throwing his hat in the ring for Rajya Sabha elections against Congress candidate, Supreme Court lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi, leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur has said that they are in touch with some Congress MLAs of the state.
The BJP has forced a contest by fielding Harsh Mahajan for the single seat despite not having enough MLAs to win. The polling will be held on February 27.
The elections to the lone Rajya Sabha seat that fell vacant as the term of Bharatiya Janata Party’s national president JP Nadda expired. The elections have seemingly generated curiosity in the political circles.
Mahajan switched sides to the BJP ahead of the assembly elections and sprang a surprise on February 15 by filing his nomination for the Rajya Sabha. His candidature is keeping political circles agog as Rajya Sabha elections have a history cross voting.
Mahajan, a turncoat, now is known political strategist. In the 68-member house at present, the ruling Congress has a clear majority with 40 seats. The BJP has 25 seats and three are independents. Though Congress certainly has numbers on its side, the BJP is sending goosebumps to Congress leaders.
“The three independents are of BJP ideology many of the Congress MLAs are in touch with us,” says leader of Opposition and former Himachal chief minister Jai Ram Thakur.
“I have appealed to the independents MLAs as well as and legislators of Congress party to exercise conscience vote if they are unhappy and support the BJP candidate,” he said, adding that the BJP legislators were leaving no stone unturned to tag Singhvi, currently a member of Rajya Sabha from the upper house as an outsider.
“Congress has allocated a ticket to a man to is contesting cases in the Supreme Court against the interest of Himachal,” says Bharmaur MLA Janak Raj.
The BJP leadership is seeing a silver lining in the prevailing resentment against the functioning of the government. Section of Congress MLAs have already upped their ante against their government.
Sujanpur MLA Rajendra Rana is vocal about the jobs promised to the youths in the elections and Dharamshala legislator Sudhir Sharma has been questioning the government over the discrimination against the politically sensitive Kangra district.
Industries minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, education minister Rohit Thakur, and public works minister Vikramaditya Singh were upset with the chief minister after the recent cabinet rejig to accommodate Rajesh Dharmani and Yadvinder Goma. “I have been a true soldier of the party and seen many ups and downs. I will vote according to my conscience,” says Dharamshala MLA Sudhir Sharma.
Singhvi is a sitting Rajya Sabha member from West Bengal. JP Nadda has been given Rajya Sabha ticket from Gujarat.
At present, all three Rajya Sabha seats from the state are held by the BJP and the other two members from the state are Indu Goswami and Sikander Kumar.
“We will follow the dictates of the party,” says education minister Rohit Thakur.