Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], June 19 (ANI): Chhattisgarh Minister Kedar Nath Kashyap on Friday took a swipe at the Congress following the victory of NDA-backed candidate Parimal Nathwani in the Rajya Sabha election, stressing that former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel had once again failed to deliver results for his party.
Speaking to ANI, Kashyap contrasted the roles played by the observers appointed by the BJP-led NDA and the Congress during the election.
"Our leadership appointed Vijay Sharma as the observer, and Congress appointed Bhupesh Baghel, and the party had to lose here as well. Bhupesh Baghel proved that he ruins things for the party wherever he goes. Discussions took place on the developmental aspect as well as the strategy for the upcoming Assembly elections," he said.
These remarks come amid political buzz over alleged cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections in Jharkhand, which has triggered speculation within the INDIA bloc regarding coordination among its constituent parties.
Earlier, Congress Observer for the Jharkhand Rajya Sabha Election, Bhupesh Baghel alleged that cross-voting in the recently held Rajya Sabha election in Jharkhand was carried out by alliance partners and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to influence the electoral process through money power.
Speaking to reporters in Bhilai, Baghel said, "We got all the votes of Congress MLAs. Cross-voting was done by our allies. But the BJP could not field their own candidate, despite having 21 members. They backed an Ambani man. We have 16 members, but we fielded our candidate. They are purchasing people with money. Lok Sabha has become a market, and auctioning is being done. MLAs were purchased. BJP does not believe in democracy."
Meanwhile, a meeting of leaders from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress was held at the residence of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren earlier in the day.
Congress in-charge K. Raju, along with senior leaders from Congress and JMM, attended the meeting with the Chief Minister.
JMM leader Baidyanath Ram, who was a candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections, and Congress leader Pranav Jha were also present during the discussions. (ANI)
