New Delhi: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demanded the cancellation of the ballot papers of Congress MLAs Kiran Choudhary and B B Batra. The BJP says the two Congress MLAs allegedly violated secrecy by showing their priority votes to several people other than party agents. BJP leader Krishan Lal Panwar is set to reach the Rajya Sabha from Haryana, but uncertainty remains over the Congress’ second seat going to the Upper House from the state.
There are a total of 90 seats in the state assembly and 89 MLAs cast their votes, officials said. Voting started at 9 am. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded former minister Krishan Lal Panwar while former union minister Ajay Maken is the Congress candidate. Media businessman Karthikeya Sharma is in the fray as an independent candidate.
Panwar and Sharma have said in their complaint to the Election Commission that Choudhary and Batra showed their ballot papers to unauthorised people after casting their votes.
A BJP delegation met the commission officials in Delhi in the evening on the issue.
Maken has also sent a letter to the commission in Delhi calling the allegations of BJP and independent candidates false and fabricated. He claimed that both the MLAs of his party did not violate privacy or privacy in any way.
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Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi was among the first to vote today, while most of his party MLAs later reached Raipur via Delhi.
The Congress had sent its MLAs to Raipur a week ago fearing horse-trading. Independent MLA Balraj Kundu, who has been vocal against the BJP-led state government, stuck to his decision not to participate in the polls.
State Home Minister Anil Vij and State BJP President OP Dhankhar tried to persuade Kundu to go to his house but things did not work out.
In Haryana, the Bharatiya Janata Party, with 40 MLAs in the 90-member Assembly, has nine more votes than the 31 first preference votes needed to win, while the contest for the second seat has become an interesting one with media baron Kartikeya Sharma standing as an independent. He has the support of the BJP-JJP alliance, independents and the lone Haryana Lokhit Party MLA Gopal Kanda.
The Congress has 31 members in the state assembly, which is enough for its candidate to win a seat, but if there is ‘cross-voting’, its chances may be slim.