By PTI
CHANDIGARH:Counting of votes for the two Rajya Sabha seats from Haryana was put on hold on Friday after the BJP and the Independent candidate backed by it urged the Election Commission to cancel the votes of two Congress MLAs.
BJP nominee Krishan Lal Panwar and Independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma shot off a missive to the EC, alleging Congress MLAs Kiran Choudhary and B B Batra showed their ballot papers to unauthorised persons after marking them and that the episodes were “duly captured” by the camera installed for the purpose of election.
The counting has been put on hold in view of the complaint made to the Election Commission, sources said, adding that further action would depend on the directions given by the poll body.
Of the total 90 members of the Haryana Assembly, 89 cast their votes, officials said at the end of the polling, which began at 9 am.
Independent legislator Balraj Kundu abstained from voting.
Congress candidate Ajay Maken, however, urged the chief election commissioner to declare the results, terming the allegations levelled by the BJP and the Independent candidate “false and frivolous”.
Maken claimed there was no breach of secrecy or privacy by the two legislators of his party.
A BJP delegation also met officials of the commission in the evening in Delhi.
The Independent candidate alleged that several complaints were lodged with Returning Officer R K Nandal but all were rejected without even consulting the state and the central observers appointed by the EC.
The Congress candidate meanwhile claimed that the returning officer rejected the objections raised by Sharma and the BJP as there was no breach of secrecy.
While the BJP, with 40 MLAs in the 90-member Haryana Assembly, has nine more than the 31 first preference votes required for a straight win, the contest has become keen for the second seat with the entry of media baron Kartikeya Sharma, an Independent.
Kartikeya has the backing of the BJP-JJP combine, most of the Independents, and Gopal Kanda, the lone MLA of the Haryana Lokhit Party.
The Congress has 31 members in the state Assembly, just enough to help its candidate win a seat.
The JJP, which is an ally of the BJP, has 10 legislators, while the Indian National Lok Dal and the Haryana Lokhit Party have one each.
There are seven Independents.
Two Rajya Sabha seats from Haryana will fall vacant in August with the terms of media baron Subhash Chandra and BJP leader Dushyant Gautam expiring.
Congress’ Rajya Sabha candidate for Haryana Ajay Maken Friday urged the Chief Election Commissioner to declare the election result after rejecting the “frivolous” objection by the BJP over alleged violation of the secrecy of the ballot.
In his letter to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, Maken has alleged “unwarranted and illegal interference” by Independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma and the BJP in the election process.
Maken, a former union minister, alleged they have raised frivolous objection before the returning officer with the sole agenda to “defeat the process of free and fair elections.”
The Congress candidate claimed the returning officer has already rejected the objections of Sharma and the BJP about the votes of its MLAs Kiran Choudhary and B B Batra, saying there has been no breach of secrecy of the ballot papers.
Maken alleged that the objection is “nothing but a weak and desperate attempt, without any basis, to disturb the pious election process, in view of the their incumbent defeat against the undersigned. Therefore, the same ought to be rejected outrightly.”
He also called upon the Commission to direct the returning officer to declare the result without any delay.
A BJP delegation is also likely to meet the Election Commission on the issue.
Maken is pitted against Independent candidate and media personality Kartikeya Sharma, who has the support of the ruling BJP-JJP combine.
