Shimla (Himachal Pradesh): As counting for the lone Rajya Sabha seat in Himachal Pradesh is underway, state Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu on Tuesday alleged that CRPF and Haryana Police convoy have taken away five to six Congress MLAs and urged the Himachal BJP leaders to have patience and not to threaten polling officers.
"The manner in which the counting has begun and Opposition leaders are threatening the polling officers again and again is not right for democracy...They had halted the counting for long. I urge the Himachal BJP unit leaders to have patience, don't put pressure on people...CRPF and Haryana Police convoy have taken away 5-6 MLAs," CM Sukhu told reporters on Tuesday.
He further said that, "I can say that the people who have gone away are being contacted by their families, I urge them to contact their families...There is no need to worry."
67 out of the total 68 legislators exercised their votes in the Rajya Sabha elections in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. Sudarshan Singh Babloo, Congress MLA, has not come so far due to illness. He was hospitalised.
There is fierce competition in Himachal Pradesh for the sole Rajya Sabha seat between Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi and the BJP's Harsh Mahajan.
Notably, the Congress has a clear majority with 40 out of 68 MLAs and the support of three independent MLAs. Despite the fact that the BJP, with 25 MLAs, is far behind in the number game, it has forced a contest by fielding Mahajan against Singhvi.
Earlier on Sunday, the Congress issued a whip to its MLAs to vote for party candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
Following the whip, all the candidates will have to show the ballot to the authorised agent, who can declare a vote invalid if any MLA refuses to show the ballot.
Voting for 56 Rajya Sabha seats from 15 states, which are falling vacant in April, were being held on Tuesday.
The term for Rajya Sabha MPs is six years, and elections are held after every two years for 33 per cent of the seats. Currently, the Rajya Sabha has a strength of 245 members.
The Rajya Sabha MPs are elected by the MLAs in an indirect election through the system of proportional representation. They are mostly foregone conclusions, with elections being held unopposed and all party candidates sailing through.
