3 in fray for 2 seats in Haryana, Rajya Sabha poll may go down to wire

Geetanjali Gayatri

Chandigarh, May 31

Haryana is headed for an interesting election with three candidates filing nomination papers here today for the two Rajya Sabha seats from the state.

While BJP’s Krishan Lal Panwar and Congress’ Ajay Maken, accompanied by the top brass of their respective parties, filed their papers, the entry of Independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma added zing to an otherwise dull election. His name has been proposed by JJP leaders and Independents.

The two leaders, Panwar and Maken, were comfortably placed as far as the numbers went till Sharma, son of former Congress leader Venod Sharma and son-in-law of Congress leader Kuldeep Sharma, filed his papers, fuelling talk of cross-voting. Kartikeya is the younger brother of Manu Sharma who was jailed for Jessica Lal’s murder.

The two Rajya Sabha seats from Haryana will fall vacant in August since the terms of BJP-supported Independent Subhash Chandra and BJP leader Dushyant Gautam will expire. In the House of 90 members, the BJP candidate needs 31 votes while the Congress candidate needs 30 votes. While Panwar has the numbers on his side, Maken, too, has the required votes needed to send him to the Rajya Sabha since the Congress has 31 votes.

However, it remains to be seen if Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi will cast his vote on June 10 since he is sulking for being “ignored” by the party high command and has stayed away from the Congress meetings as also from showing up for Maken’s nomination. Still, the Congress leader has 30 MLAs with him. Since there is a provision for preferential vote in the RS election, sources in the BJP said that the party MLAs could support Sharma as the second preference. The JJP and a few Independents have already extended their support to Sharma.

If the BJP decides to give him the “second preference votes”, Sharma will have nine BJP votes after 31 in favour of Panwar have been deducted. He will have 10 JJP votes with party supremo Ajay Chautala extending support to him.

There are seven Independents in Haryana of which at least four have already extended support to Sharma by signing his nomination papers as proposers. There are two parties — the INLD and the Haryana Lokhit Party — with one MLA each.

If Sharma “manages” to get all these votes, his vote count would stand at 28 even though he requires 30 votes. Sharma, speaking to mediapersons after filing his papers, said he would appeal to MLAs across party lines for their vote and support since Maken, being an “outsider”, would not be able to raise issues pertaining to Haryana.

Sources said that though leaders within the Congress are also talking of Maken being an “outsider”, this talk translating into defiance is unlikely. Sharma’s entry has certainly upset the permutations and combinations of the Congress and ensured that the election will go down to the wire.

Will decide on backing Independent on voting day: CM

• BJP candidate Panwar was accompanied by Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar, state unit president OP Dhankar and party MLAs. Khattar said the decision to support the Independent candidate will be taken on the morning of voting.
• Independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma was accompanied by his father and former Congressman Venod Sharma and Power Minister and Independent MLA Ranjit Singh. Venod Sharma said they would approach every leader of every party.
• Congress candidate Ajay Maken and Venod Sharma are distant relatives. Kartikeya is the younger brother of Manu Sharma who was jailed for Jessica Lal’s murder.