The issue of cross-voting during the Rajya Sabha polls has given an opportunity to chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s detractors to raise their voice against him. A section of the ruling Congress had put pressure on the leadership to take action against two ministers and five MLAs who allegedly given their second preference to the BJP candidates.
The Congress high command had already issued notices to energy minister Jitendra Singh and state minister Brijendra Ola along with five MLAs, including parliamentary secretary Giriraj Malinga, for cross-voting but most of them offered an explanation that they did not give vote to the BJP candidate while two of them said it was sheer mistake.
The leaders from the anti-Gehlot camp visited Delhi and demanded action against these ministers. Mr Gehlot is in the United States currently to address the non-resident Rajasthani conclave.
The dissidents were aiming to be accommodated in the state Cabinet if the party leadership asked two of the ministers to resign for cross-voting.
The CM tried to play down the issue as the Congress has a strength of 102 MLAs in the House of 200. The party leadership was not ready to take a risk with its thin majority in the House, with the merger of the BSP already challenged in court.
Parliamentary secretary Malinga denied voting for the BJP. Mr Malinga won as BSP candidate and subsequently joined the Congress and got the post of parliamentary secretary. Ruling party MLA Mahendra Gujjar reportedly told the party that it happened by mistake. Mr Gujjar was directed to give his second priority to Santosh Bagrodia but he could not.
Congress MLA Ramlal Meghwal said he was not wearing his glasses when he cast his vote.
Another MLA under the scanner, Nirmla Sahria, said it was an attempt to malign her image. She claimed that she had voted only for Congress candidates Anand Sharma and Ashq Ali Tak.