RS polls: Haryana Cong accuses BJP of horse-trading
Chandigarh: A Congress delegation met Haryana Governor Ashim Kumar Ghosh here on Thursday, alleging that the ruling BJP behaved as “political predators” and openly indulged in horse-trading in the recently held Rajya Sabha polls in the state.
The delegation under the Haryana Congress Legislature Party was led by Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
The Congress also alleged that the role of the Returning Officer, IAS Pankaj Aggarwal, was partisan.
The Congress memorandum submitted to the governor said: “The ruling dispensation behaved as ‘political predators’ and adopted all immoral means for the victory of the independent candidate.”
The ruling BJP openly indulged in horse-trading, Faustian bargains, intimidations, institutional pressures, dishonest deals and misuse of government machinery, it added.
The Congress Legislature Party has requested the governor, in his capacity as the constitutional guardian of the state, to order an inquiry into this unethical and undemocratic conduct, to direct the government to uphold democratic values, decency, and discipline.
The polling for two Rajya Sabha seats was held here on Monday, in which BJP’s Sanjay Bhatia won one seat, while Congress candidate Karamvir Singh Boudh secured the other in a close contest against Independent candidate Satish Nandal.
Haryana BJP’s vice-president, Nandal, had contested the elections as an Independent candidate.
Boudh’s victory by a narrow margin came amid allegations that five Congress candidates allegedly cross-voted. Besides, of the five votes declared invalid, four were reportedly cast by Congress legislators.
According to the memorandum, given the numerical strength both parties enjoy in the 90-member Assembly -- BJP (48) and Congress (37) -- under normal circumstances, the victory of both candidates of BJP and Congress was a foregone conclusion.
Despite the lack of requisite members for winning the second seat, the BJP propped up Nandal, proposed by three Independent MLAs and 7 BJP MLAs, as an independent candidate.
