Congress nominee Maken in trouble with entry of independent candidate
CHANDIGARH: Horse trading is expected in the June 10 Rajya Sabha polls for two seats from Haryana with three candidates including an independent filing nomination paper on the last day of making nominations.
BJP candidate Krishan Lal Panwar, Congress nominee Ajay Maken and independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma (a businessman who is son former Congress minister Venod Sharma) filed their nomination papers on Tuesday.
If all goes well during scrutiny of nomination papers on June 1, the Upper House election being regarded as a routine affair with one seat each expected to be pocketed by the BJP and the Congress candidates could turn out to be a greasy affair.
BJP sure to win one seat
As per the mathematical formula for the Rajya Sabha polls, 31 votes are required to win the first of the two seats. While BJP candidate Panwar is assured of an Upper House berth, Congress candidate Maken could get in trouble if cross-voting takes place.
The BJP, with 40 MLAs in the assembly, also has the support of its coalition partner, the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) which has 10 MLAs. The JJP has already extended support to independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma.
There are seven independents who are expected to vote the way BJP wants them to. Lone INLD MLA Abhay Chautala and HLP MLA Gopal Kanda are also expected to support Sharma’s candidature.
While the BJP has not officially announced support to Kartikeya for the second seat, the party is expected to back him. So, the BJP and its allies will have 28 votes in support of Sharma.
That would still leave Congress candidate Ajay Maken with ample votes (31) to clinch the second RS berth.
However, there can be a twist in the tale if two Congress MLAs cross over to vote for Sharma or a couple abstain from voting or their votes are declared invalid, the third one being the safest option to avoid disciplinary action from the party.
Congress MLA from Adampur, Kuldeep Bishnoi, who is nursing his wounds after being denied the state party president’s chair and did not attend the Congress legislature party (CLP) meeting, may not vote for the party candidate.
Also, since Kartikeya is the son-in-law of former Congress MLA Kuldeep Sharma, there is a possibility of some party MLAs making a switch to vote for the independent candidate. Kuldeep Sharma is also a close associate of CLP leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
Test of Hooda’s leadership
It will be a test for former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to keep his flock together. Hooda, who is the leader of Opposition in Haryana, when asked about the prospects of cross-voting, said every Congress MLA will vote for party nominee Ajay Maken.
“There will be no cross-voting. The party high command is in touch with Bishnoi and will persuade him,” Hooda said.