Congress to suspend MLAs who cross-voted in Rajya Sabha polls

Gandhinagar: The Congress on Tuesday said party legislators who cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha elections in Gujarat will be suspended with immediate effect.

"Whoever has cross-voted will be suspended with immediate effect," party General Secretary Ashok Gehlot told reporters here.

Gehlot, in charge of the Congress affairs in Gujarat, said this after legislators cross-voted in the crucial Rajya Sabha polls in which Congress President Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel is a candidate.

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Apart from former Chief Minister Shankersinh Vaghela, who has left the Congress, five of his supporters in the Congress cross-voted for the Bharatiya Janata Party candidates.

BJP President Amit Shah and Union Minister Smriti Irani appeared set for an easy win but the contest for the third seat between Patel and BJP candidate Balwantsinh Rajput has gone down to the wire.

The BJP has raised its stakes in the election by fielding Rajput, who was the chief whip of the Congress in the Gujarat assembly.

The Rajya Sabha elections are taking place months ahead of assembly polls in the state.