With ruling BJP-supported media baron Subhash Chandra locked in a keen contest with INLD-backed lawyer R K Anand for the second Rajya Sabha seat falling vacant in Haryana, State BJP legislature party held a meeting here today to draw up the strategy for the biennial elections to be held on June 11.
The meeting was held under the leadership of party general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and was attended by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and party MLAs among others.
While BJP leader and Union Minister Birender Singh is assured of a win on one Rajya Sabha seat by virtue of the saffron party's strength in the 90-member Assembly, it is the second seat for which the battle between the two Independent candidates will take place when the polls are held on Saturday.
BJP, with the support of five Independents and one BSP legislator, has the support of 52 MLAs in the 90-member House. It needs 31 votes to wrest the first seat.
The saffron party will also want that Chandra, although Independent, wins the second seat since he is backed by the ruling party.
All eyes are on Congress' move in the polls.
A few days back, Haryana Congress Chief Ashok Tanwar had said the party will soon take a decision on whether to vote or abstain in the June 11 polls as the party has not fielded any candidate and two Independent candidates are in fray for the second seat.
INLD-supported Anand has been pitted against Chandra for the seat.
Chandra had earlier said he reached out to Congress and sought its support since none of its own candidates was in fray. He had also claimed that he had the support of the five Independent MLAs, the lone BSP MLA, while two INLD members too had offered their support to him, the media baron had claimed.
BJP has 47 MLAs in the Assembly, INLD 19, Congress 17 (Kuldeep Bishnoi's two-member HJC merged with Congress recently), BSP one, SAD one and five are Independents.
The two seats, currently occupied by Union ministers Birender Singh and Suresh Prabhu, will fall vacant on August 1.
