Rajya Sabha polls: Congress cites numbers to win from Rajasthan and Haryana, accuses BJP of trying to subvert mandates

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday said it has the numbers in Rajasthan and Haryana and is confident of the victory of its candidates from the two states in the upcoming Rajya Sabha election. Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera accused the BJP of trying to subvert mandates and displace governments where it has lost the electoral contest and said the country has seen such examples in Madhya Pradesh, Goa and Uttarakhand in the past and even during previous Rajya Sabha elections.

Khera said the priority of the ruling party should be governance and not displacing governments where it is not in power. He also raised objections over the claim of Subhash Chandra, an Independent candidate from Rajasthan in the Rajya Sabha polls, that he has the support of six Congress MLAs.

The Congress leader said this confidence in claiming the support of other party's MLAs comes from the BJP and its central leadership. "We are confident. We are more than confident. We have our numbers in Rajasthan and Haryana. We have no doubt whatsoever," Khera said in response to a question on the upcoming election to the Upper House of Parliament.

Taking on the BJP, he said it has a strange hobby of displacing governments and trying to subvert mandates, adding that one has seen what has happened in Madhya Pradesh, Goa and Uttarakhand, "where we win the elections and they try to form the governments".

The Congress leader alleged that there are several examples of the BJP doing this, including during late Ahmed Patel's election to the Rajya Sabha. 

"So if they don't have the numbers, why don't they wait for their turn the next time if they get the numbers. Why do they indulge in horse-trading and create an atmosphere where everybody then has to try and protect their turf?" "This should not be the priority of a party which is in power, its priority should be governance," he said.

The Congress is pitted in a close contest for the fourth seat in the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan and one seat from Haryana where the entry of two independents -- media barons Chandra and Kartikeya Sharma -- has made the battle interesting. Chandra and Sharma are supported by the BJP and claim that they also have the support of Independent MLAs. 

Fearing poaching of its MLAs and cross-voting in Rajasthan and Haryana, the Congress has holed up its legislators from the two states in Udaipur and Raipur respectively. The Rajya Sabha election will be held on June 10 and cross-voting is likely to take place for the two seats from Rajasthan and Haryana.