Opposition Relocates MLAs in Haryana, Odisha Before Rajya Sabha Vote

As political parties across India brace for the biennial Rajya Sabha elections on March 16, concerns over cross-voting have prompted unusual measures in at least two states, with opposition groups relocating legislators to secure their support. The polls will fill 37 vacant seats in the upper house of Parliament from 10 states, including Haryana and Odisha, where voting will occur between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., followed by counting from 5 p.m. the same day. These elections come as terms for incumbent members from states such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana end in April.

In Haryana, the Congress party transported most of its 37 assembly legislators to neighboring Himachal Pradesh on Friday afternoon, a move sources described as a precaution against potential defections ahead of the vote for two Rajya Sabha seats. The legislators, who assembled at the residence of Congress Legislature Party leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda in Chandigarh, departed in two tempo travelers for what one MLA, Jassi Petwar, called a "training session" to familiarize first-time members with the voting process. Party officials, including Haryana...