Congress expels Kuldeep Bishnoi for cross-voting in RS poll

New Delhi, June 11, 2022

The Congress on Saturday expelled Adampur MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi from all party positions after he openly cross-voted against official Congress nominee Ajay Maken in Rajya Sabha polls held in Haryana on Friday.

"Honble Congress President has expelled Shri Kuldeep Bishnoi from all his present party positions including the post of special invitee in Congress Working Committee with immediate effect," In a letter, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K. C. Venugopal said.

The cross-voting by Bishnoi contribtued to the Congress candidate Ajay Maken's defeat in the RS polls.

Two Congress MLAs cross-voted in Haryana and Maken got only 29 out of a possible 31 votes, enabling independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma, backed by the BJP, to scrape through with a slender margin.

Bishnoi, meanwhile, had put out a cryptic message on Twitter, which read: "I have the capability to crush snakes' hood, do not leave the jungle in the fear of snakes."

Bishnoi was upset with the party after he was denied state President post and had said he would take a decision after a meeting with Rahul Gandhi, which did not take place.

The loss in Haryana has put Bhupinder Singh Hooda in a tight spot and the party leadership is likely to take a view on it as he had promised to win the seat for the party.

BJP nominee Krishan Lal Panwar and Sharma emerged victorious. Earlier, the two had written to the Election Commission alleging that Congress MLAs -- Kiran Choudhary and B. B. Batra -- showed their ballot papers to unauthorised persons after marking them, but the EC rejected their objections and counting was restarted.

Of the 90 members in the Haryana Assembly, 89 cast their votes, officials said. Independent legislator Balraj Kundu abstained from voting.

IANS