Congress Cracks Down on MLAs Over Rajya Sabha Cross-Voting

The Congress party is set to take disciplinary action against three MLAs for cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections, where the BJP secured unexpected victories. The internal conflict resulted in the suspension of Sofia Firdous, Ramesh Jena, and Dasarathi Gomango for defying party lines to support a BJP-backed candidate.

The Congress party is poised to initiate disciplinary action against its MLAs who defied party lines by cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections, announced BK Hariprasad, the party's Haryana in charge, during a press conference. Hariprasad highlighted that the party's disciplinary committee will submit a report which will guide the AICC's subsequent actions.

The internal turmoil has led to the suspension of three Congress MLAs—Sofia Firdous, Ramesh Jena, and Dasarathi Gomango—implicated in the cross-voting incident. Congress, which holds 14 seats in the assembly, witnessed its members support the BJP-backed candidate over its endorsed BJD candidate, resulting in BJP securing the contested seat.

The cross-party voting resulted in a significant blow to the opposition as the BJP claimed two seats, while one went to an independent candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls. Arabinda Das of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee confirmed that these actions were taken due to anti-party activities.

Furthermore, abstentions by Congress and RJD MLAs in Bihar aided the NDA in capturing all five Rajya Sabha seats. The elections filled 37 seats across India, with 26 candidates elected unopposed.

(With inputs from agencies.)