Three candidates for two Rajya Sabha seats in Haryana

Union Minister Birender Singh is likely to have a comfortable re-entry to Rajya Sabha but a keen contest is on the cards between BJP-backed media baron Subhash Chandra and INLD-supported lawyer RK Anand, who are in fray as Independent candidates, when polls for the two seats to the Upper House of Parliament from Haryana are held on June 11.
Polling for the two seats will take place on June 11 as none of the three candidates withdrew their nomination today, the last date for withdrawal, Haryana Vidhan Sabha Secretary RK Nandal said.
Yesterday, Chandra had said he was in touch with individual MLAs in the 90-member Assembly.

Both Chandra and Anand are vying for the second seat.
Congress, which has 17 members in the Assembly, has not yet said whether it would take part in the voting or abstain.
Chandra said he had reached out to Congress and sought its support since none of its own candidates was in fray.

BJP has 47 MLAs in the 90-member Assembly, INLD 19, Congress 17 (Kuldeep Bishnoi's two-member HJC merged with Congress recently), BSP one, SAD one and five are Independents.
While Union Rural Development Minister Singh is assured of a comfortable victory owing to ruling BJP's numbers in the Assembly, Chandra will need the support of some INLD or Congress MLAs, in addition to the support of the remaining BJP MLAs (after the support of 31 MLAs needed for Singh's win) to ensure victory.

The two seats, currently occupied by Singh and Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, will fall vacant on August 1.
The two were elected following by-elections in December, 2014.