Poll fiasco adds to former CM Hooda’s troubles

CHANDIGARH: Things do not seem to be going right for former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. While he is already under CBI’s scanner for alleged illegal

CHANDIGARH: Things do not seem to be going right for former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. While he is already under CBI’s scanner for alleged illegal allotment of plot during his stint as HUDA chairman, there are now murmurs that he orchestrated the defeat of Congress-backed RK Anand in the RS polls.

HT Image

As many as 14 votes were declared invalid which led to the victory of BJP-supported media baron Subhash Chandra in the recently concluded RS polls.

While it cannot be established as to whose ballots were declared invalid, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) which is the principal opposition group in assembly has accused a Congress faction led by Hooda of playing the spoilsport.

INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala on Sunday accused Hooda of colluding with the ruling BJP to ensure Chandra’s win. Hooda on the other hand vehemently denied the allegation and termed the episode a conspiracy hatched by the INLD and the BJP.

Party’s observer for Rajya Sabha poll, BK Hariprasad, said that Congress MLAs voted for Anand as per the directions of the Congress president. “It was difficult for me as a polling agent to determine whether the ink used for marking preference was that of the election commission’s official pen or not. I don’t think there was any foul play on the part of our MLAs.”

“Till it is proved that Congress MLAs deliberately got their votes cancelled, no action will be initiated against Hooda,’’ said a party insider. However, whether the Congress high command, smarting from party’s debacle in recent assembly elections, will get convinced and swallow the conspiracy theory is a question waiting to be answered.