Face2News/Chandigarh
A controversy has emerged over the alleged appointment of sitting Ministers and Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) as counting agents during the recently held biennial elections to the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) from Haryana.
Advocate Hemant Kumar, practicing at the Punjab and Haryana High Court, has submitted a formal representation to the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging violation of its established guidelines in the conduct of the elections.
In his complaint addressed to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, as well as Haryana Chief Electoral Officer A. Sreenivas, the advocate pointed out that the ECI, through its instructions dated May 9, 2014, had clearly prohibited the appointment of sitting Ministers and MLAs as counting agents during elections.
The representation states that despite these clear directions, major political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, along with an Independent candidate, allegedly appointed a sitting Minister of the Haryana Government and sitting MLAs as their counting agents in the election held on March 16, 2026, to fill two Rajya Sabha seats from the State.
The complaint specifically refers to candidates such as Sanjay Bhatia, Karamvir Singh Boudh, and Independent candidate Satish Nandal, in connection with the alleged appointments.
According to the complainant, the ECI’s 2014 instructions—issued under letter No. 464/INST/2014/EPS—remain in force and have neither been amended nor superseded to date.
Terming the alleged appointments a “clear violation” of the Commission’s directives, the advocate has urged the ECI to take immediate cognizance of the matter and initiate appropriate action to ensure strict compliance with its guidelines.
He has also sought formal acknowledgment of his representation submitted to the Commission.