Congress Divided Over Electing RK Anand as Rajya Sabha Member
Top sources have revealed that Haryana Congress MLAs are likely to abstain from voting in the Rajya Sabha elections.
Top sources in the Congress has told The Quint that the party’s Haryana MLAs are likely to abstain from voting in favour of either media baron Subhash Chandra and lawyer RK Anand in the Rajya Sabha elections.
Chandra and Anand filed their nomination papers as Independent candidates for the second Rajya Sabha seat from Haryana. Elections to the Upper House are
scheduled to be held on 11 June.
We cannot support a person who fought from The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in the Lok Sabha election. Congress President has told me to support RK Anand. But the MLAs from Haryana are not ready for it.BS Hooda, Former CM, Haryana
According to the sources, a senior Congress leader has written to President Sonia Gandhi against Anand. The letter mentions the sting operation which exposed his corrupt practices.
The Quint has also learnt that the Rajya Sabha election will reveal the cracks within the Congress party. Sources have revealed that Sonia Gandhi has asked Hooda to tell his MLAs to vote for Anand. But the MLAs have already registered their dissent.
The party High Command has now become the Low Command. Even if we go against the top leaders, nobody has the power to take decisive action.Senior Leader, Congress
On the other hand, Chandra has claimed to have managed support from the ruling BJP, while INLD stands in support of Anand.
At present, out of the 90-member Haryana Assembly, BJP has 47 legislators, INLD has 19, Congress 17 , BSP 1, and SAD 1. There are 5 Independents.
Reportedly, Chandra has claimed that MLAs will vote in numbers for him and he will win with ease. If Congress teams up with INLD, then Anand’s chances of winning are good. Hence in the current scenario, the Congress MLAs’ votes are crucial.
Many in the Congress party want to ensure that the BJP candidate doesn’t win. It will mean an increase in strength for BJP in the Rajya Sabha.