Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel accused alliance partners of cross-voting in the Jharkhand Rajya Sabha election and alleged the BJP used money power. However, INDIA bloc allies CPI(ML) and RJD have refuted the claims, asserting their MLAs voted as planned.
Congress Accuses Allies of Cross-Voting, Slams BJP
All India Congress Committee (AICC) Observer for the Jharkhand Rajya Sabha Election, Bhupesh Baghel, on Friday, alleged that cross-voting in the recently held Rajya Sabha election in Jharkhand was carried out by alliance partners and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to influence the electoral process through money power.
Speaking to reporters in Bhilai, Baghel said, "We got all the votes of Congress MLAs. Cross-voting was done by our allies. But the BJP could not field their own candidate, despite having 21 members. They backed an Ambani man. We have 16 members, but we fielded our candidate. They are purchasing people with money. Lok Sabha has become a market, and auctioning is being done. MLAs were purchased. BJP does not believe in democracy."
Baghel's remarks come amid political buzz over alleged cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections in Jharkhand, which has triggered speculation within the INDIA bloc regarding coordination among its constituent parties.
Meanwhile, amid speculation over cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections, political reactions continued with Congress and CPI(ML) Liberation offering contrasting claims on the conduct of their respective MLAs. Jharkhand Minister and Congress leader Irfan Ansari alleged that alliance partners had "betrayed" the coalition at a crucial stage.
"We believe RJD and CPI(ML) betrayed us. We fully supported Chief Minister Hemant Soren, yet they deceived us at the crucial moment. The BJP is swallowing regional parties across the country. By stabbing your allies in the back, you are making a grave mistake," he claimed.
Allies Refute Allegations, Assert Loyalty
CPI(ML) Liberation Asserts Party-Line Voting
However, CPI(ML) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya dismissed the allegations and asserted that the party's votes were cast strictly as planned. He said, "As for speculations over Jharkhand Rajya Sabha voting, we can tell with full responsibility that our two MLAs voted for the Congress candidate as planned. Two of our senior leaders, PBM Haldhar Mahato and CCM Geeta Mandal, duly verified the votes cast by @cpimlliberation."
RJD Affirms Support for INDIA Bloc Candidate
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) National General Secretary Bhola Yadav also asserted that all four party MLAs had voted for the INDIA bloc candidate in the recent Jharkhand Rajya Sabha elections. Speaking on the issue in Ranchi, Yadav said the voting was carried out strictly in line with the directions of party leadership, including Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav.
"As per the directions of our leader, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav, all our four MLAs voted for the INDIA bloc candidate Pranav Jha. I was there as the observer. All four of them showed me the same, and my eyes cannot deceive me. I have seen it clearly," Yadav said. He further suggested that Congress should conduct an internal review to understand what went wrong during the polling process and urged its state leadership to introspect and resolve internal issues.
JMM, Congress Leaders Meet Amidst Fallout
Meanwhile, a meeting of leaders from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress was held at the residence of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren earlier in the day. Congress in-charge K. Raju, along with senior leaders from Congress and JMM, attended the meeting with the Chief Minister. JMM leader Baidyanath Ram, who was a candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections, and Congress leader Pranav Jha were also present during the discussions. (ANI)
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