Kiran Choudhry resigns from Haryana Assembly, likely BJP pick for RS seat

Haryana MLA Kiran Choudhry has resigned from the Vidhan Sabha and is expected to be the BJP's candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha bypolls, nearly two months after leaving the Congress to join the party.

"I have tendered my resignation as Vidhan Sabha member (MLA)," Choudhry told PTI over phone on Tuesday.

Resignation accepted

Official sources said that her resignation has been accepted by the assembly speaker.

A former Haryana minister and MLA from Tosham, Choudhry (69) had joined the BJP along with her daughter Shruti and their supporters in June.

Elections to 12 vacant Rajya Sabha seats in nine states will be held on September 3.

The bypoll for the lone Rajya Sabha seat in Haryana was necessitated after Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda was elected to the Lok Sabha from Rohtak.

BJP likely to field Choudhry

The last day of filing nomination for the seat is Wednesday.

Sources said the BJP is likely to field Choudhry from the Rajya Sabha seat in Haryana.

Given the BJP's numbers in the assembly, it is set to win the seat.

The scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on August 22 while candidates can withdraw their nominations until August 27.

If necessary, voting will be held on September 3, at the Haryana Vidhan Sabha Secretariat from 9 am to 4 pm.

House strength

After Choudhry's resignation, BJP has 41 members in the 90-member assembly, Congress 28 and JJP 10. There are five Independents in the assembly, INLD and Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP) have one member and four seats are vacant.

The BJP also enjoys the support of Independent MLA Nayan Pal Rawat and HLP MLA Gopal Kanda.

Three Independents support the Congress.

Request rejected

After Choudhry joined the BJP, the Congress had approached the assembly speaker seeking her disqualification from the House but its request was rejected on "technical grounds".

Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda had earlier said that his party would not field a candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat as it did not have the numbers.

After JJP leader Dushyant Chautala recently told Hooda that the Congress must name a candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat, the leader of opposition had said that the former deputy chief minister should first see how many MLAs were with him.

JJP MLAs Ram Niwas Surjakhera and Jogi Ram Sihag had come out in support of BJP candidates in the Lok Sabha polls.

Chautala had said that if Hooda was not colluding with the BJP then his party should field a candidate in the Rajya Sabha bypoll.

"We have already promised to vote against the BJP," the JJP leader had said.

(With agency inputs)