One more HJC MLA joins Cong,party gets simple majority

Congress on Teusday gained simple majority in the Haryana Assembly with an HJC(BL) MLA joining the ruling party. The Congress now has 45 members in the 90-member assembly.

Congress on Tuesday gained simple majority in the Haryana Assembly with an HJC(BL) MLA joining the ruling party. The Congress now has 45 members in the 90-member assembly,which has an effective strength of 89 as one seat is vacant.

“HJC’s Samalkha MLA Dharam Singh Chokkar had yesterday sent a communication that he wanted to join the Congress along with four of his party colleagues,but could not reach here on time. His plea was accepted,” Haryana Assembly Speaker H S Chatha told reporters here.

The HJC is now left with just one legislator–its party president Kuldeep Bishnoi,the younger son of former chief minister Bhajan Lal– with four Janhit MLAs having joined the Congress here yesterday after breaking away from their party.

The Speaker said that he had yesterday received a fax message from Chokkar that he was also part of the group of HJC MLAs who wanted to join the Congress.

“I accepted his plea. Chokkar has today joined the Congress,which has accepted him as its member,” he said.

The Haryana Assembly,at present has one seat vacant. Former Chief Minister and opposition INLD president Om Prakash Chautala,who had won from two seats,retained Uchana Kalan and vacated the Ellenabad seat.

The Congress had fallen six short of simple majority in the House and got the support of seven independents and lone BSP legislator Akram Khan. Chokkar met Speaker Chatha today at his office in the Haryana Assembly building. He also had a meeting with Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda here.

Story continues below this ad

He told reporters later that HJC chief Bishnoi had earlier announced to support the government,but had been

“unnecessarily delaying” to openly declare his stand. “When he did not stick to his stand,we decided that we should act on our own and support the Congress because people want a stable government,” Chokkar said,adding that he had joined the Congress “unconditionally”.

State Congress president Phool Chand Mullana and senior leader Randeep Singh Surjewala,who were present when Chokkar met the Speaker,welcomed the HJC MLA into the party fold.

“I welcome him into the party fold. I have full hope that his admission will further strengthen the Congress party,” Mullana said.

Story continues below this ad

Asked why Chokkar did not come with other four HJC MLAs yesterday,Mullana said,”he had a stomach upset”. The four Janhit MLAs– Zile Ram Chochra (Asandh constituency),Vinod Bhayana (Hansi),Satpal Sangwan (Dadri) and Rao Narender Singh (Narnaul)– had yesterday said they had

“legally split” and merged with Congress” as they constituted the 2/3rd of HJC legislature party strength,much more than the number required to escape anti-defection law.

Speaker H S Chatha had given his stamp of approval to the split in the HJC legislature party when he said the action of the four MLAs was “100 per cent legal” as the “constitution says that 2/3rd members of a party can split and merge”.

Bishnoi yesterday said that on November 8,the HJC had expelled its MLA Satpal Sangwan from the primary membership of the party for his alleged anti-party activities.