Chandigarh (Haryana) [India], March 17 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress have each won seats in the Haryana Rajya Sabha elections. Congress leaders said they won despite the BJP trying to "buy" votes, while the BJP winner, Sanjay Bhatia, said the Congress is just upset because their own people didn't vote for them.
Amid celebrations in both camps, leaders traded accusations, with the Congress blaming the BJP for unethical tactics and the BJP questioning the opposition's ability to keep its legislators together.
BJP winning candidate Sanjay Bhatia, while speaking to ANI, said, "Congress's responsibility was to unite its workers and MLAs, now they are putting allegations on us for the cross-votes of their own workers, which is not right... I have been born and brought up in Haryana and my priority will be the issues of the people here... Congress got 28 votes, the independent received 16 votes with first preference and BJP received 39 first preference votes..."
On the other hand, Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal, while speaking to ANI, said, "We won the fight we had been fighting for a long time. The way a procession of constitution and constitutional bodies was being carried out, the democracy won finally. Our candidate, Karamvir Singh Baudh won the seat today... We congratulate our leaders and workers... BJP tried to do horse trading today..."
Haryana Minister Mahipal Dhanda, while talking to the reporters, said, "The independent candidate have the right to seek votes, but Congress have held their workers hostage... BJP candidates won with a huge majority. Independent candidates sought support from us, and we gave... This is an election fought on internal voice, and Congress is killing it in its workers..." He also says, "Sanjay Bhatia (BJP candidate) has won..."
Meanwhile, Haryana Congress President Rao Narendra Singh on Monday lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party, alleging that the Rajya Sabha election process has exposed the ruling party's "anti-Dalit" stance.
Speaking to reporters, Singh congratulated party workers for supporting a candidate from a marginalised background while warning of strict action against any Congress legislators who may have "betrayed the party," pointing to alleged cross-voting by certain members.
Haryana Congress President Rao Narendra Singh, while talking to the reporters, said, "BJP's anti-poor, anti-Dalit ideology has been exposed... Congress sent a person hailing from a poor Dalit family to the country's biggest Panchayat, and I congratulate all the workers of the party...Those who betrayed the party will be subjected to strict action."
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