The toughest contest is expected to be in opposition-ruled states such as Rajasthan and Maharashtra, where both sides have forced their legislators to move to resorts to check poaching.
Rajya Sabha Results Soon
Rajya Sabha Results Soon: MPs voted on 16 Rajya Sabha seats in a closely watched contest across four states. Forty-one seats were filled by unopposed candidates. The Rajya Sabha elections are important in view of the Presidential elections to be held next month.
Here are the top 10 updates to this big story:
The toughest fight is taking place in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Haryana where legislators were taken to resorts to check poaching.
Rajya Sabha Results Soon
Rajya Sabha Results Soon: In Karnataka, at least one Janata Dal (Secular) MLA K Srinivasa Gowda said he voted for the Congress “because he loved it”. Also, there is uncertainty about one more vote. JDS Chief HD Kumaraswamy alleged “horse-trading” and said, “30 out of 32 stood with us.”
In Rajasthan too, the ruling Congress got two votes from the BJP. The third MLA’s vote was objected to, further pushing the BJP’s prospects.
In Maharashtra, where there is a tough fight for the sixth seat, there are 28 MLAs from smaller parties and independent heads. The ruling coalition is in trouble after the bail pleas of two MLAs Nawab Malik and Anil Deshmukh were rejected.
The opposition Congress is playing a game of defense in Haryana, where the vote of one of its MLAs was reportedly declared invalid while independent MLAs voted for the ruling BJP.
In one of the two seats in Haryana, the BJP has fielded former minister Krishan Lal Panwar, former Union minister Ajay Maken being the Congress candidate. Media businessman Karthikeya Sharma is contesting as an independent.
Rajya Sabha Results Soon
Kartikeya Sharma has complained to the Election Commission that the votes of two candidates should be declared invalid. Congress needs 31 votes and BJP 57. For majority in each seat, 31 votes are required.
Voting was held to fill 57 vacant seats in 15 states. Of these, BJP had 23 seats and Congress had eight seats. The rest split into other parties.
Uttar Pradesh has the maximum number of 11 seats. It is followed by Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu with six seats each. Five seats in Bihar, four each in Karnataka, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh, three each in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha were also vacant.
Apart from this, two seats each from Punjab, Jharkhand, Haryana, Chhattisgarh and Telangana and one seat in Uttarakhand are also vacant.