Haryana Speaker dismisses petitions against five HJC MLAs

The five HJC leaders, Satpal Sangwan (Dadri), Vinod Bhayana (Hansi), Narendra Singh (Narnaul), Zile Ram Sharma (Assandh) and Dharam Singh (Samalkha), defected to Congress when the party finished five short of the half mark in the 90-member state Assembly to retain power for the second successive term.

The Speaker's decision on the petitions filed under the Anti-defection Law comes on the last day of the three-month deadline set by the Supreme Court last year to dispose of the pleas against the five MLAs.

Meanwhile, HJC Chief Kuldeep Bishnoi said that he will challenge the Speaker's order in the court.

After the 2009 Assembly elections, the Congress with 40 MLAs was short of five to prove majority in the House. Initially, seven Independent MLAs supported the Congress to help the party cross the crucial figure of 45 in the 90-member House in its efforts to form the government for the second successive term.

On November 8 and 9, 2009 five of the six HJC MLAs, except the party supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi, defected to the Congress raising its strength to 45.

The 2009 Assembly polls had ended with 40 seats to Congress, 31 to INLD, six to HJC, four to BJP, one each of the BSP and SAD besides seven Independents.

On December 9, 2009, HJC supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi moved disqualification petitions against five HJC MLAs who defected to the Congress.

After Kuldeep Bishnoi, three MLAs of the opposition Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) Sher Singh Badshami, Ashok Arora and Ram Pal Majra moved another set of disqualification petitions against the HJC leaders.