Ahead of Rajya Sabha elections, Congress MLAs head to Himachal

Chandigarh: As the final countdown has started for the elections to two Rajya Sabha seats of Haryana, extra-cautious Congress MLAs on Friday proceeded to Himachal Pradesh. Interestingly, the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader, Bhupinder Hooda, expressed ignorance about the trip.As per information, around 32 MLAs boarded two buses parked outside the Hooda's residence and headed to a resort in Shimla's Kufri area. Sources said the legislators were told to make preparations and pack baggage for a stay of four days in the hill state.The staff at Adventure Resort in Kufri, meanwhile, confirmed to TOI that 32 rooms were booked for three days — from March 13 to 15 — and the guests started checking in around 7 pm Friday. Kufri is around 15 km from Shimla.Voting for Rajya Sabha election is scheduled on March 16, when the Haryana assembly reconvenes after a short break.The Congress MLAs who stayed back included Chandermohan, who was said to be unwell, and Vinesh Phogat. Earlier, interacting with the mediapersons, Hooda feigned ignorance about the MLAs' tour to Himachal. "I do not know about their programme. They attended the CLP meeting, and we all resolved to ensure our candidate's victory. They just came to inform us that they wanted to go out, and they shall return to poll their votes," said the former CM.Hooda, in the same breath, said there was also a possibility that the party might get a vote from a non-Congress MLA. "And you shall see that all the 37 MLAs vote for the party candidate," the senior leader added.It may be recalled that the entry of Satish Nandal, an independent candidate, triggered anxiety and spiced up the battle for one of the two Rajya Sabha seats in Haryana.As per sources, during the morning hours on Friday, the Congress MLAs assembled at the Sector 7-based Chandigarh residence of Hooda for the CLP meeting. AICC general secretary B K Hariparsad and Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee president Rao Narender Singh were also present.It is learnt that during the meeting the MLAs carried out a mock drill and were trained on voting. The MLAs also passed a resolution on participation in the ongoing budget session.BJP MLAs gather in Panchkula (Box)The BJP also assembled its MLAs and ministers at the Panchkula headquarters of the party for the special training programme and mock drill on Saturday. The MLAs and ministers who arrived to attend the organisational meeting on Friday were told to station in Chandigarh until the voting for the Rajya Sabha was over. (With inputs from Sanjeev Verma in Shimla)MSID:: 129556784 413 |