Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel confident of Ajay Maken's win in Haryana

Raipur, Jun 9 (PTI) Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday exuded confidence that the Congress' candidate Ajay Maken will win the Rajya Sabha election from Haryana.

Baghel, who is the party's observer for the Rajya Sabha elections in Haryana, was talking to reporters at the Swami Vivekanand Airport here before leaving for Chandigarh by a chartered flight.

Congress MLAs from Haryana, who were camping at a resort here since June 2, also returned to Delhi in another aircraft a day ahead of the election, a party leader here said.

“We are confident. We have the numbers with us. Our candidate Ajay Maken will definitely win," Baghel said.

When asked about two Congress MLAs from Haryana who had not arrived in Raipur with the others, he said the party has their support.

At least 27 MLAs of the main opposition in Haryana arrived here on the evening of June 2 and were put up at a resort in Nava Raipur. Later two more MLAs, including Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda also reached here, while Maken also met the MLAs.

Though Baghel and senior party leaders had earlier said that the MLAs had arrived here for a "training session", sources in the party had confirmed that the move was to protect the legislators from being poached.

In the 90-member Haryana Assembly, the BJP has 40 MLAs, while the Congress has 31, JJP 10, Indian National Lok Dal and Haryana Lokhit Party one each and seven are Independents.

The ruling BJP has fielded Krishan Lal Panwar for one of the two Rajya Sabha seats in Haryana. With the entry of a third candidate — Kartikeya Sharma — as an Independent, the contest has turned interesting. Given its strength in the Assembly, the BJP is set to win one seat.