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High profile contest on Rajasthan’s fourth RS seat
Out of the four Rajya Sabha seats going to polls in Rajasthan on June 10, the ruling Congress party is certain of winning two and the BJP is sure of one.
Six year after its nominee RK Anand lost a sure seat to media baron Subhash Chandra in a Rajya Sabha election in Haryana, the Congress faces a fresh challenge from the latter in Rajasthan, where 13 independent lawmakers will decide the fate of a Rajya Sabha seat. The BJP-backed Chandra is in contest against Congressman Pramod Tiwari.
Out of the four Rajya Sabha seats going to polls in Rajasthan on June 10, the ruling Congress party is certain of winning two and the BJP is sure of one. The fourth seat is set for a contest between Chandra and Tiwari. The Congress has fielded Randeep Singh Surjewala, Mukul Wasnik and Pramod Tiwari. The BJP has fielded former minister Ghanshyam Tiwari and backed Chandra.
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said on Tuesday that the BJP wants to disturb the atmosphere through horse trading in the Rajya Sabha elections. ”Don’t know why the BJP has played the game. They did the same 15 years ago but had to announce withdrawal of support because the independent candidate had no votes.”
Chandra too, sounded confident. “Last time, I was elected to Rajya Sabha from Haryana. This time I urged the BJP leaders to support my candidature from Rajasthan as originally, I am from Fatehpur in Shekhawati region (in Rajasthan). I decided to contest after having talks with independent MLAs, and am confident that I will get more votes than required,” he said.
The last time a Congress nominee faced Chandra, the latter won the election amid a controversy after 12 votes cast with markings in the wrong ink (the Election Commission gave a marker with violet ink; this was replaced by a black marker before some of the Congress MLAs voted.
These 12 votes were of Congress legislators, and led to the defeat of party-backed independent candidate and lawyer RK Anand . Two more votes were declared invalid as the ballot was unmarked in one and Randeep Singh Surjewala’s vote was rejected as he showed his vote to another legislator, Kiran Chaudhary.
Political analysts believe that Chandra is also banking on brewing resentment in the ruling Congress over the nomination to Gandhi family-loyalists.
A senior Congress leader from Rajasthan told HT, “The 13 independent MLAs supporting the Ashok Gehlot government have been rewarded heavily by chief minister Gehlot and there is no reason why they shouldn’t support a Congress nominee.”
But as a lawmaker, independent or from another party, can’t show his or her vote before casting, “one can’t be sure if an independent MLA or those from smaller parties such as Bharatiya Tribal Party (2 MLAs) have been cast in favour of the Congress,” added another leader.
In Rajasthan, a party requires 41 votes to get a candidate elected in this round of biennial elections. The Congress with 108 MLAs is falling short of 15 votes to have its third candidate elected while the BJP, with 71 lawmakers, requires additional 11 votes to secure a second candidate’s victory.
Apart from the Congress and the BJP, there is Hanuman Beniwal’s Rashtriya Lok Tantrik Party with 3 MLAs, Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal with one MLA, and two members each of the Bharatiya Tribal Party and CPI(M).
