Congress MLAs from Rajasthan and Haryana, BJP MLAs from Rajasthan, and Shiv Sena MLAs in Mumbai are being sequestered in resorts ahead of the June 10 polling for Rajya Sabha seats to prevent any poaching from the other side, as elections for seats in at least four States — Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Haryana — will go down to the wire. What is equally interesting is that MLAs are also being "trained" on how to vote in these polls without getting disqualified.
What is this "training" all about and how is voting in Rajya Sabha polls distinct from regular polling?
One of the most interesting innovations in Rajya Sabha polling comes from an incident that happened as late as 2016, when during a close fought contest in Haryana, a "rebellion" by Congress MLAs helped independent candidate, media baron Subhash Chandra (coincidentally in the poll fray from Rajasthan, this time), win. Indian National Lok Dal candidate, R. K. Anand, lost. Votes of at least 12 Congress MLAs were deemed invalid as they had been marked with pens not authorised for voting.
