Dinesh Bhardwaj / Trinew
Chandigarh, April 24
While the mercury of the weather has gone up a lot, the mercury of the politics of Haryana is also seen in a boom these days. After May, the situation is being created for passing this whole year in the elections. First there are elections for urban local bodies, then after that elections are to be held on two seats of Rajya Sabha. The tenure of BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Dushyant Kumar Gautam and BJP-backed Independent MP Subhash Chandra is ending on August 1. Elections for both these seats can be held in July. After the Rajya Sabha elections, elections to Panchayati Raj Institutions – Zilla Parishad, Panchayat Samiti and Gram Panchayats are also expected to be held. Of course, the matter is still pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, but the government has gone to the High Court for an early hearing. There are also constant dates. However, along with the ruling BJP-JJP alliance, veteran leaders of the main opposition Congress are eyeing the seats falling vacant in the Rajya Sabha.
Subhash Chandra contested the Rajya Sabha elections held in June 2016 as an independent candidate with BJP support. At the same time, from the second seat, BJP had sent former Union Minister Chau Birendra Singh to the Rajya Sabha. Although according to the calculation of seats, Subhash Chandra’s seat was to be known in the account of Congress and INLD supported candidate RK Anand, but due to the separation of ink of 15 Congress MLAs at the time of voting, their votes were canceled. Birender Singh resigned from the Rajya Sabha at the behest of the party leadership after Birender Singh’s IAS son Brijendra Singh became an MP from Hisar in the October-2019 Lok Sabha elections. After this, in the by-election held on the seat in March 2020, BJP sent senior Delhi leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam to the Rajya Sabha. The term of the remaining three seats is still pending. The tenure of BJP’s Lt Gen (Retd) Dr DP Vats is till April 2, 2024. At the same time, the tenure of Congress’s Deepender Singh Hooda and BJP’s Ramchandra Jangra is till April 10, 2026. However, after the seat of Dushyant Kumar Gautam and Subhash Chandra falls vacant, elections will be held on both of them. Many senior Congress leaders are eyeing the Rajya Sabha seat.
Bodily elections will ring soon
The tenure of more than 52 municipal councils and municipalities of the state has been completed in June last year itself. The bodies have been handed over by the government to the administrators. BJP state president Omprakash Dhankhar has started the round of meetings regarding the civic elections. He has also imposed the duties of senior party leaders. The elections to the bodies are likely to be held in May. The BJP-JJP alliance will fight the civic polls together. The BJP has been fighting the elections of the bodies on the party symbol. The situation regarding contesting elections on the symbol in Congress is not clear yet. However, INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala has announced to fight on the symbol.
Then the turn of panchayats will come
More than fourteen months have passed since the tenure of Panchayati Raj Institutions – Zilla Parishad, Block Samiti and Gram Panchayats was completed. Since then the village panchayats are in the hands of the administrators. The coalition government has made a law for 50 percent reservation for women in panchayats. This has been stayed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Although the High Court has given permission to conduct elections under the old law, but the government will conduct elections only with reservation. In such a situation, the decision of Panchayat elections will be taken only after the decision of the High Court.
Kumari Selja from Congress ready to go to Rajya Sabha!
Presently Congress has 31 MLAs. In such a situation, one seat is almost certain to come to the account of Congress and the second seat will be given to BJP-JJP alliance. In-house lobbying for the Rajya Sabha is taking place in the ‘Delhi Durbar’ by senior leaders of both the parties. Congress state president Kumari Selja is also trying to go to the Rajya Sabha. In April 2020, when Deependra Hooda was sent to the Rajya Sabha, the election to this seat was held only after the completion of the term of Kumari Selja. Due to pressure from local leaders, the central leadership could not send Selja to Rajya Sabha even after wanting it. In the midst of the discussion of change of leadership in the state Congress, there may also be a possibility that Selja may be sent to the Rajya Sabha. This kind of discussion is now being heard in Delhi also.
One pomegranate in BJP, hundred sick condition
There is going to be strong lobbying for one seat among BJP leaders too. Apart from former Education Minister Prof. Rambilas Sharma, former Finance Minister Capt. Abhimanyu, former Industry and Commerce Minister Vipul Goyal, the names of more than 6 veteran leaders are already running in the political corridors. There is also talk that Subhash Chandra can try for a second consecutive term. It is believed that BJP’s alliance partner JJP can also claim for the Rajya Sabha seat. In the earlier elections, JJP had openly supported the BJP. In such a situation, there is a possibility of interesting scenes regarding the Rajya Sabha elections in the coming days.
