Hours after Hooda’s warning, senior Congress leader quits

Chandigarh: In a surprising turn of events, Haryana Congress working president Ram Kishan Gujjar has resigned from his post. Gujjar's resignation comes right after Hooda announced the names of five MLAs who had allegedly indulged in cross-voting. Gujjar's wife is also a Congress MLA from Naraingarh, the constituency which was once represented by CM Saini. Earlier in the day, Hooda had remarked that the BJP employed every conceivable strategy to stifle democracy. "The govt machinery was grossly misused. Four valid votes cast by Congress legislators were arbitrarily invalidated, despite having been accepted multiple times by the returning officer," he said. Hooda had also announced the names of five Congress legislators who engaged in cross-voting against the party and have been forwarded to the high command. "These individuals should voluntarily resign from their posts as MLAs; otherwise, the party will initiate disciplinary action against them within the next few hours. Such individuals will be taught a fitting lesson not only by the party, but also by the constituents of their respective constituencies," he said. Commenting on the elections, MLA Bharat Bhushan Batra stated that in an effort to ensure a BJP victory, the returning officer acted as an agent of the BJP. "Nevertheless, both the BJP and the returning officer suffered a humiliating defeat in the face of the solidarity displayed by the loyal Congress legislators. Ultimately, the Congress candidate secured a seat in the Rajya Sabha," he said.