RS poll: Team Khattar huddles at Badals' Sukhvilas resort to ensure Kartikeya Sharma's win

Pradeep Sharma

Chandigarh, June 8

The BJP top brass has gone into a huddle to chalk out a strategy to defeat Congress candidate Ajay Maken and ensure the victory of Independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma in the June 10 Rajya Sabha elections.

Why Badals’ resort?

Seen as a smart move by the BJP to send a “goodwill” message to its former ally SAD

However, both have rubbished reports of any bonhomie

CM Khattar could have chosen a resort in BJP-ruled HP

Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, BJP state chief OP Dhankar and Deputy CM and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala, besides BJP, JJP and Independent MLAs, tonight converged on luxury resort Sukhvilas near Chandigarh for a two-day stay. The stated purpose ofthe sojourn is a “training camp” for the legislators, a substantial number of whom are first-timers, to apprise them about the voting process for the Rajya Sabha poll.

40 votes with BJP in 90-member House

31 MLAs to vote for party candidate Krishan Lal Panwar

9 MLAs to support media baron Kartikeya Sharma

10 MLAs of BJP’s ally JJP expected to back Sharma

Congress: 31 | Independents: 7 | Haryana Lokhit Party: 1 | INLD: 1

The BJP’s training camp comes close on the heels of the Congress move to take its MLAs to Raipur (Chhattisgarh) about a week back in a bid to prevent cross-voting by its legislators.

In the 90-member House, the BJP has 40 members, JJP 10 and Congress 31. While there are seven Independents, one legislator each is from the Haryana Lokhit Party and the INLD.

While BJP candidate Krishan Lal Panwar’s win is assured, there is stiff competition between Congress candidate Ajay Maken and Sharma, a son of former Congress leader Venod Sharma who is supported by the BJP, JJP and Independents (except one).

While Panwar need 31 votes to win, Maken or Sharma will need 30 votes to bag the second seat. While Congress has 31 MLAs, one of its MLAs, Kuldeep Bishnoi, is reportedly miffed with the party high command over allegedly being sidelined in the recent state Congress reshuffle.

The BJP has nine spare votes which will go to Sharma. The going will get tough for Maken in case of cross-voting or invalid votes by a couple of Congress legislators.