RS polls: Buzz around Gopal Kanda’s Independent run in Haryana
Tenure of BJP leaders Ram Chander Jangra, Kiran Choudhry coming to end
Ahead of the final date of nominations for the Rajya Sabha polls to two Haryana seats falling vacant, the buzz is growing around the possibility of former minister of state Gopal Kanda entering the fray as an Independent candidate.
The two seats are being vacated with terms of BJP leaders Ram Chander Jangra and Kiran Choudhry coming to an end.
Kanda, a minister in the erstwhile Congress government led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has grown closer to the ruling BJP in the state over the past year.
As per the current math in Haryana, the BJP and the Congress are in a position to win a seat each. A winner needs 31 first preference votes. The BJP has 48 MLAs while the Congress has 37.
However, the Congress camp is wary of Kanda entering the fray as an Independent and is preparing to install guard rails to thwart any attempts at confusion.
There is no official word on the matter though, either from Kanda or the BJP.
Given the past Rajya Sabha poll experience, Congress leaders believe the BJP may try and queer the state pitch by backing an Independent.
“Kanda’s candidature as an Independent could be a possibility, even though we have the numbers to win one of the two seats. However, we are preparing for all machinations. Past experiences have not been forgotten,” a senior Congress leader said.
While the BJP today named Sanjay Bhatia as its nominee from Haryana, the Congress is still formalising its candidates. March 5 is the last date for nominations, and March 16 has been fixed for elections.
