Chandigarh, Oct 28 (IANS) Keeping his political cards close to his chest, Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) president Kuldeep Bishnoi Wednesday led party legislators in ‘abstaining’ from the vote of confidence of the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government in the state.
Six legislators of the HJC, including Bishnoi, left the Haryana assembly complex here after taking oath as legislators.

“We will abstain from the trust vote. We are going to Delhi,” Bishnoi had told the media before leaving.

The HJC legislators did not even wait for the first address of Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia.

The Congress required support of 45 legislators in the 89-member house — which has total 90 seats but Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Om Prakash Chautala was elected on two seats — for simple majority and will now require only 42 votes in favour in the reduced 83-member house.

The Congress had emerged as the single largest party in the assembly with 40 legislators in the Oct 13 assembly poll. It fell short of a simple majority by six seats in the 90-member house.

The Congress has already claimed support of all seven Independent legislators and the lone Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator in the assembly.

HJC sources said that Bishnoi, who had earlier announced that his party could support any government in the state, Wednesday altered his stance and decided to abstain.

This could be aimed at pressurizing the Congress to seek his party’s support at his terms instead of giving it unconditionally.

Most of the HJC leaders, including Bishnoi and his father and former chief minister Bhajan Lal, are former Congressmen.