Haryana Congress Suspends 5 MLAs: The Indian National Congress in Haryana has taken strict disciplinary action against five of its MLAs for allegedly cross-voting during the Rajya Sabha elections held on March 16. The state party unit announced on Thursday that the legislators have been suspended after the findings of the party’s Disciplinary Action Committee were accepted by the leadership.
Those suspended include Shalley Chaudhary from Naraingarh, Renu Bala from Sadhaura, Jarnail Singh from Ratia, Mohammad Israil from Hathin and Mohammad Ilyas from Punahana. According to party leaders, these MLAs voted in favour of Independent candidate Satish Nandal, who had the backing of the Bharatiya Janata Party during the Rajya Sabha contest.
Confirming the development, Haryana Congress president Rao Narender Singh said the party had accepted the report submitted by the Disciplinary Action Committee. He stated that the suspension was recommended after the committee carefully reviewed the circumstances surrounding the alleged cross-voting.
The committee, headed by senior Congress leader Dharampal Malik, examined the replies submitted by some of the MLAs in response to show-cause notices issued earlier. After reviewing the explanations and the available evidence, the panel recommended strict action against the legislators. The committee also suggested that the MLAs should consider resigning from their party membership.
However, the controversy has not ended with the suspensions. Three of the MLAs — Shalley Chaudhary, Renu Bala and Jarnail Singh — have strongly denied the allegations of cross-voting. In her response to the party leadership, Shalley Chaudhary insisted that she had voted for the official Congress candidate and claimed she was being unfairly targeted by some senior leaders. She also referred to earlier political developments, hinting at controversies that surrounded the 2016 Rajya Sabha elections in Haryana.
Renu Bala also rejected the accusations, maintaining that she has always remained loyal to the Congress and that the allegations against her are baseless. Similarly, Jarnail Singh denied any wrongdoing in his written reply to the party.
All three MLAs argued that they had shown their ballots to former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who had been authorised by the party to verify votes during the election process.
Meanwhile, two other legislators — Mohammad Israil and Mohammad Ilyas — reportedly did not respond to the show-cause notices issued by the party leadership. Their lack of response was also taken into consideration by the disciplinary panel while recommending action.
The suspensions have triggered fresh political discussion in Haryana, as cross-voting during Rajya Sabha elections often points to internal disagreements within political parties. With political competition intensifying between the Congress and the BJP in the state, the episode has once again highlighted the challenges faced by party leadership in maintaining unity within its ranks.