Congress suspends five Haryana MLAs for cross-voting (Img: Internet)
Chandigarh: The Indian National Congress on Thursday suspended five of its Haryana MLAs from the party’s primary membership with immediate effect over alleged cross-voting during the recent Rajya Sabha elections.
Haryana Congress chief Rao Narender Singh announced that Shalley Chaudhary, Renu Bala, Jarnail Singh, Mohammad Ilyas and Mohammad Israil have been suspended for “anti-party activities.”
The action was taken following recommendations from the state disciplinary committee and approval by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge.
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According to the party, the suspended MLAs allegedly voted in favour of BJP-backed Independent candidate Satish Nandal instead of the official Congress nominee Karamvir Singh Boudh during the March 16 Rajya Sabha polls.
Rao Narender Singh described the act as “serious indiscipline,” stating that it violated party norms and undermined collective decision-making.
Despite the setback, Congress managed to secure one of the two Rajya Sabha seats, though by a narrow margin. The cross-voting significantly impacted the vote count, bringing the party close to losing the seat.
Out of 88 votes cast, five Congress MLAs reportedly gave first preference to Nandal, while four ballots from the party were declared invalid. Boudh ultimately secured 28 votes.
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In the 90-member Haryana Assembly, the BJP holds 48 seats, while Congress has 37 legislators. During the election, three Independent MLAs supported Nandal, while two INLD members abstained from voting.
The BJP’s candidate Sanjay Bhatia won comfortably, while the Congress candidate’s victory margin remained slim due to internal dissent.
Party leaders said the suspension is intended to reinforce discipline and send a clear message against defiance of the official party line. The Congress leadership has maintained that adherence to party decisions is critical, especially in closely contested elections.
