Rajya Sabha Achilles Heel: How Cross-Voting Has Dogged Congress Since 2014

Last Updated:June 19, 2026, 12:48 IST

From Haryana to Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat to UP, and Jharkhand, Rajya Sabha elections have repeatedly become a test of the Congress's ability to keep its legislative flock together

Congress’s defeat in the June 18 Rajya Sabha election in Jharkhand has once again exposed a problem that has repeatedly haunted the party over the last decade: cross-voting by its own legislators or those of its allies in crucial Upper House contests. From Haryana to Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat to Uttar Pradesh, and now Jharkhand, Rajya Sabha elections have repeatedly become a test of the Congress’s ability to keep its legislative flock together. In several cases, the party has lost seats despite having the numbers on paper. In others, it has survived only after dramatic recounts, Election Commission interventions or support from allies.

The latest setback came in Jharkhand, where Congress nominee Pranav Jha lost to NDA-backed Independent Parimal Nathwani, despite the INDIA bloc commanding a comfortable majority in the 81-member Assembly. The alliance had 56 MLAs – enough to win both Rajya Sabha seats – but Nathwani secured the exact winning quota of 28 valid votes, while Jha managed only 19. Investigations within the alliance pointed to cross-voting by legislators from Congress allies RJD and CPI(ML). The defeat also reopened questions over Congress’s decision to announce Jha’s candidature without first consulting its senior alliance partner, the JMM, creating resentment within the coalition before polling even began.

The Jharkhand episode is only the latest in a long line of Rajya Sabha elections where internal dissent has undone Congress’s electoral arithmetic.

Haryana 2016: The ‘Ink Controversy’ That Cost Congress A Seat

One of the most controversial Rajya Sabha elections in recent memory took place in Haryana in June 2016. Congress-backed Independent candidate RK Anand was expected to win with the support of Congress and opposition MLAs. Instead, BJP-backed Independent candidate Subhash Chandra emerged victorious after the Election Commission declared 13 opposition votes invalid.

The reason became infamous as the “ink controversy." Congress legislators had marked their ballots using a pen that was not the officially authorised violet sketch pen supplied by the Returning Officer. It was later alleged that the authorised pen had been replaced during polling, leading to the invalidation of ballots cast by Congress legislators, including senior leader Randeep Surjewala.

The controversy did not end there. There were also allegations that a section of Congress MLAs loyal to former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had never been enthusiastic about Anand’s candidature. The Election Commission later recommended disciplinary action against the Haryana Assembly Secretary for negligence in handling the election process.

The defeat left a lasting scar on the Haryana Congress. In subsequent Rajya Sabha elections, the party routinely shifted its MLAs to resorts in Himachal Pradesh to prevent defections and ensure tighter control over legislators before polling.

UP 2016: Kapil Sibal Won, But 6 Congress MLAs Were Expelled

The same year, Congress faced another embarrassment during the Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. Although Kapil Sibal ultimately secured election with support from the Samajwadi Party, the Congress discovered that six of its own MLAs had voted against him. The legislators expelled from the party were Sanjay Pratap Jaiswal (Basti), Madhuri Verma (Bahraich), Vijay Dubey (Kushinagar), Mohammed Muslim (Tiloi-Amethi), Dil Nawaz Khan (Bulandshahr) and Nawab Kazim Ali Khan (Rampur).

Sibal won only after benefiting from surplus votes transferred by the Samajwadi Party. Without that external support, the internal rebellion could easily have cost Congress the seat.

Gujarat 2017: Ahmed Patel Survives After Midnight Drama

One of the most dramatic Rajya Sabha election involving Congress came in Gujarat in August 2017. Political strategist and senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel faced a determined BJP campaign to unseat him through mass defections. Former chief minister Shankarsinh Vaghela rebelled against the party, while seven other Congress legislators cross-voted in favour of BJP nominee Balwantsinh Rajput. Among those who defected was Karamshi Patel, who had travelled with Congress MLAs to a Bengaluru resort set up to prevent poaching but eventually voted against the party.

Congress challenged two rebel votes before the Election Commission, arguing they had violated ballot secrecy norms. After hours of deliberations stretching past midnight, the Commission invalidated both ballots. Patel eventually crossed the winning mark with 44 votes, aided by a crucial vote from a JD(U) MLA.

Congress expelled all eight rebel MLAs for six years. Patel described the result as a victory over “money power, muscle power and abuse of state machinery."

Haryana 2022: Kuldeep Bishnoi’s Rebellion Sinks Ajay Maken

If the 2016 Haryana election had exposed procedural vulnerabilities, the 2022 contest highlighted outright political rebellion. Congress had exactly 31 MLAs – the precise number needed to elect Ajay Maken. Instead, senior Congress MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi voted for BJP-backed Independent Kartikeya Sharma. Another Congress vote was declared invalid during counting.

The two setbacks proved decisive. Sharma defeated Maken despite Congress having the arithmetic in its favour.

The party acted swiftly, expelling Bishnoi from all organisational posts the very next day before eventually removing him from the party.

Himachal Pradesh 2024: 6 Rebels Trigger Crisis

Congress suffered perhaps its biggest political setback through cross-voting in February 2024 in Himachal Pradesh. Despite heading the state government with a comfortable majority, Congress nominee Abhishek Manu Singhvi lost to BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan.

Six Congress MLAs – Rajinder Rana, Sudhir Sharma, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Devinder Kumar Bhutto, Ravi Thakur and Chetanya Sharma – joined three Independent MLAs in voting for Mahajan.

Both candidates finished with 34 votes each. Under election rules, Mahajan was eventually declared elected through a draw of lots.

The fallout extended far beyond the Rajya Sabha election. The six Congress legislators later defied the party whip during the Budget session by abstaining from voting and were subsequently disqualified from the Assembly. The BJP briefly claimed the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government had lost its majority, triggering one of the biggest constitutional crises in Himachal Pradesh in recent years.

Odisha 2026: Congress MLAs Help BJP-backed Independent Win

Cross-voting resurfaced in Odisha during the March 2026 Rajya Sabha election. Three Congress legislators – Sofia Firdous (Barabati-Cuttack), Ramesh Chandra Jena (Sanakhemundi) and Dasarathi Gomango (Mohana) – voted against the joint BJD-Congress nominee and instead supported BJP-backed Independent Dilip Ray.

Ray won the fourth Rajya Sabha seat, frustrating opposition plans.

Congress suspended all three MLAs soon after the election.

Haryana 2026: Candidate Survives Despite Five Defections

The same month, Haryana again exposed Congress’s organisational weaknesses. Five Congress MLAs – Shalley Chaudhary, Renu Bala, Mohammad Ilyas, Mohammad Israil and Jarnail Singh – cross-voted in favour of BJP-backed Independent Satish Nandal. Adding to the damage, four Congress ballots were declared invalid during counting.

Despite the heavy internal sabotage, Congress candidate Karamvir Singh Boudh managed to scrape through by a margin of just 0.67 of a vote. Had one more legislator defected, Congress would have lost the seat.

The party suspended all five MLAs involved in the cross-voting.

Bihar 2026: Cross-voting Without Consequences

The March 2026 Rajya Sabha elections in Bihar produced another episode of indiscipline. Three Congress legislators cross-voted as the NDA swept all five Rajya Sabha seats from the state.

Although show-cause notices were issued and replies were received, the party had still not taken disciplinary action against the legislators months later, highlighting differences in how various state units handled rebellion.

A Recurring Pattern

Taken together, these elections reveal a consistent trend. Wherever Congress has lost Rajya Sabha seats despite favourable numbers – Haryana (2016 and 2022), Himachal Pradesh (2024), Odisha (2026) and Jharkhand (2026) – the immediate trigger has been cross-voting. In Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, the rebellion came from Congress’s own legislators. In Jharkhand, the damage was inflicted by INDIA bloc allies. In Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, Congress ultimately survived, but only after dramatic interventions, support from allies or Election Commission rulings.

Another pattern is equally striking. Most rebellions stemmed from unresolved factional battles within the party or resentment over candidate selection. The Hooda camp’s discomfort with RK Anand in Haryana, Kuldeep Bishnoi’s revolt against Ajay Maken, the rebellion against the Sukhu leadership in Himachal Pradesh, and the discontent among INDIA bloc allies in Jharkhand all reflected deeper political fault lines rather than spontaneous acts of defiance.

The Jharkhand defeat has once again underlined that, for Congress, the challenge in Rajya Sabha elections is often not defeating the BJP, but preventing its own numbers from slipping away before the ballots are counted.

About the Author

Pragati Ratti

Pragati is a News Editor at news18.com. Having headed the Business and Viral sections, Pragati now ideates, writes and edits long-form features and articles on national and global affairs. She ensures...Read More

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