Rajasthan: RS polls on Friday; Cong, BJP MLAs go through mock polls at their hotels

The ruling Congress and the BJP held mock polls at the two hotels where their MLAs are holed up to ensure that they don’t slip up during the Rajya Saba elections Friday for three seats from Rajasthan.

The ruling Congress and the BJP held mock polls at the two hotels where their MLAs are holed up to ensure that they don’t slip up during the Rajya Saba elections Friday for three seats from Rajasthan. The Congress had confined its MLAs to a hotel over a week back, alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party was trying to lure them away ahead of the election.

The BJP rejected the charge as theatrics. Earlier this week, the opposition party too brought its MLAs together at another hotel, saying it wanted them to get some “training” for the polls. The Congress has nominated K C Venugopal and Neeraj Dangi for the RS polls, while the BJP has fielded Rajendra Gehlot and Onkar Singh Lakhawat.

The BJP had initially nominated just Gehlot but it later sprang a surprise by naming Lakhawat as well on the last day for nominations. In a House of 200, the Congress has 107 MLAs and is supported by independents and legislators from the Rashtriya Lok Dal, CPM and Bhartiya Tribal Party (BTP). The BJP has 72 MLAs and the support of three Rashtriya Loktantrik Party members.

Former chief minister Vasundhara Raje and other leaders participated in the mock polling exercise Thursday for the BJP MLAs at their hotel. The BJP also held a session on “Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan” for the legislators. Voting will take place from 9 am to 4 pm at the Rajasthan Assembly building and the counting will begin at 5 pm.

The authorities have made special arrangements for sanitisation and social distancing to guard against the spread of coronavirus, Returning Officer Pramil Kumar Mathur said. He said the entry and exit of the MLAs will be through separate gates. The MLAs will be allowed in after thermal screening. Masks and sanitiser will be made available for them.

Going by their numbers in the state assembly, the Congress should win two seats and the BJP one. But after the BJP fielded a second candidate, the Congress alleged that it is trying to poach its MLAs and destabilise the state government.

Rajasthan has a total of 10 Rajya Sabha seats with six of them currently held by the BJP and one by the Congress. Friday’s polling is for the remaining three seats The only Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan now is former prime minister Manmohan Singh. He was elected unopposed in the Rajya Sabha bypolls held last year when the seat fell vacant after the death of BJP MP Madan Lal Saini, who was also the party's state president.