The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress each secured one seat in the Rajya Sabha elections for Haryana after a tense counting process that was delayed for over five hours amid allegations of “vote secrecy violations.” The elections concluded past midnight, confirming BJP nominee Sanjay Bhatia and Congress candidate Karamvir Singh Boudh as the winners.

Bhatia, 58, a former Lok Sabha MP, and Boudh, 61, a noted SC activist, won through preference votes. The counting, originally scheduled for 5 pm, was postponed after both parties filed complaints with the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding breaches in ballot secrecy. Boudh also lodged a complaint against the Returning Officer for alleged partiality during the process.

Haryana Cabinet Minister Krishan Kumar Bedi said the BJP raised concerns over two Congress MLAs—Bharat Singh Beniwal and Paramvir Singh—not folding their ballots properly, violating the secrecy of their votes. Sources confirmed that counting commenced only after the ECI approved the procedure. Bhatia claimed that five Congress MLAs had cross-voted during the election.

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To prevent potential cross-voting, Congress had moved its 31 MLAs to a private resort in Kufri near Shimla and later to Kasauli before bringing them to Chandigarh. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini congratulated both winners but criticized Congress for restricting the movement of its MLAs and accused the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) of acting as Congress’s “B team” by abstaining from voting.

In the 90-member Haryana Assembly, 83 valid votes were cast, with two INLD MLAs abstaining and five votes invalidated. Boudh secured 28 votes against independent candidate Satish Nandal, who received 16, while Bhatia won his seat comfortably. Under the proportional representation formula, a candidate required a quota of 27.66 votes, making Boudh’s victory margin just 0.33 vote value.

The two Rajya Sabha seats were vacated as BJP members Kiran Choudhry and Ram Chander Jangra complete their terms on April 9. The closely contested poll underscores the high-stakes nature of Rajya Sabha elections in Haryana, reflecting intense political maneuvering by both major parties.

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