Political activity has intensified in the hill resort of Kufri near Shimla, where a group of legislators from Haryana has been relocated amid speculation of cross-voting and political poaching ahead of the March 16 Rajya Sabha elections in Haryana 2026.
Around 31 MLAs of the Indian National Congress have been accommodated at a resort in Galu near Kufri, about 14 km from Shimla, under tight security. The legislators were reportedly transported from Solan in a convoy comprising three tempo travellers and nearly ten other vehicles.
Sources said the relocation was carried out on the instructions of the party leadership to prevent any attempts at political poaching before the crucial vote. Apart from the MLAs, three Congress MPs, including Deepender Singh Hooda, along with the Haryana Congress chief, also reached the resort.
The Rajya Sabha contest in Haryana has sparked significant political interest. In the 90-member Assembly, the Bharatiya Janata Party holds 48 MLAs, while the Congress has 37 legislators. Under the preferential voting system, a candidate requires 31 votes to secure a seat.
BJP nominee Sanjay Bhatia is expected to win one seat without difficulty, but the battle for the second seat remains closely watched. Congress has nominated Parmvir Singh Baudh, while Independent candidate Satish Nandal is believed to be relying on second-preference votes from BJP legislators.
Political analysts say the numbers are tight enough that even a minor shift in voting could influence the outcome, raising concerns of cross-voting. The Congress decision to move its MLAs to Himachal Pradesh is being seen as a precautionary measure to keep the group united until polling day.
The situation has also brought back memories of the 2024 Himachal Pradesh Rajya Sabha election, when cross-voting by Congress legislators resulted in the defeat of party candidate Abhishek Singhvi after a tie with the BJP nominee.
However, six Congress MLAs — including Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Kuldeep Vats, Vinesh Phogat, Chander Mohan Bishnoi, Mohammad Ilyas and Tohana MLA Paramvir Singh — did not accompany the group to Kufri.
Hooda said he was not aware of the relocation of MLAs but asserted that all legislators would take part in the voting scheduled for March 16. With political camps on alert and the numbers under close watch, the usually quiet Himalayan destination of Kufri has suddenly turned into the centre of a high-stakes political contest where every vote could prove crucial.
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