RS polls: Cong expels Haryana MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi over cross-voting charges

The Congress on Saturday expelled Haryana MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi from all party positions including as  special invitee to the Congress Working Committee. 

The decision comes day after high-drama at the Rajya Sabha polls that witnessed Congress's Ajay Maken losing to BJP-JJP independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma by a whisker. An embarrassed Congress had decided to take strong action against Bishnoi over charges of ‘gross indiscipline of cross-voting’ in the Rajya Sabha polls. 

“The party has taken a serious note of Bishnoi’s gross indiscipline as he did not vote for the official candidate of the Congress. Stern action will be taken against Bishnoi,” Vivek Bansal, the Haryana Congress in-charge and authorised agent of the party for the Haryana Rajya Sabha elections, had said. 

BJP's Krishan Lal Pawar, Congress's Ajay Maken and BJP-JJP backed independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma were in fray on the two seats in Haryana. 

Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who had come to the Vidhan Sabha complex at 2 am to congratulate the winners, thanked Bishnoi who is believed to have voted for Sharma. 

“He must have done this only after being impressed by the policies of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and his government. Bishnoi has heard the voice of his inner soul to connect with the emotion of the Nation,’’ the chief minister said.