Nandal to move HC over Rajya Sabha Cong vote

Rohtak: After suffering a narrow defeat in the Rajya Sabha elections, Satish Nandal, the independent candidate, on Wednesday announced that he would approach the high court, challenging the validity of a vote cast by Congress Ellenabad MLA Bharat Singh Beniwal.Nandal alleged that the vote was not cast in accordance with prescribed rules and claimed that the violation was clearly visible in the official videography of the polling process.Speaking to the mediapersons here, Nandal said such a close defeat — by a margin of just 0.33% — was unprecedented in the country's electoral history. He maintained that Beniwal's vote did not comply with the rules and confirmed that legal proceedings were already underway. "I will go to court to seek cancellation of this vote," Nandal said, while asserting that there was no buying or selling of votes in the election.He further said contesting elections was a democratic right. Nandal said after receiving permission from his party (BJP), he resigned from his position before entering the election fray. Nandal added that he had sought support from all 90 MLAs in the Haryana assembly and claimed he received votes from BJP legislators, three Independents, and others.Targeting the Congress, Nandal alleged that the party lacked confidence in its own MLAs. He referred to reports that Congress legislators were moved to Himachal Pradesh, suggesting either a lack of trust among themselves or in their leadership under Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Nandal also remarked that the votes he received were not party-driven but came from individual MLAs.He also criticised the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), stating that he had personally approached INLD supremo Abhay Chautala twice, seeking support, and had received assurances. However, INLD MLAs did not cast their votes. Nandal questioned the accountability of elected representatives who abstain from voting, asking how they can encourage citizens to vote if they themselves fail to exercise their mandate.He stressed the INLD MLAs should have participated in the process. MSID:: 129658266 413 |