During the election for 15 Rajya Sabha seats across three states, the BJP secured wins in Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh amid widespread cross-voting. Meanwhile, the Congress claimed the majority of seats in Karnataka.

Notably, 41 of the 56 candidates were already elected unopposed to the Upper House due to lack of opposition, leaving seats of only three states — Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh — for voting.

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Polling for the rest of the 15 seats — 10 in UP, four in Karnataka and one in HP — took place on Tuesday, following which counting took place and the results were declared in the evening.

Big win for Congress in Karnataka

In Karnataka, the Congress maintained its stronghold by securing three out of four Rajya Sabha seats. One seat was won by the BJP. However, the elections were marred by cross-voting, causing a setback for the saffron party in the southern state.

The Congress won three Rajya Sabha seats in Karnataka with Ajay Maken, Nasser Hussain, and GC Chandrashekar emerging victorious. On the other hand, BJP candidate Narayansa Bhandage won one seat. The fifth candidate, JD(S) leader D Kupendra Reddy, lost the election with just 36 votes.

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Notably, BJP MLA S T Somashekar cross-voted for Maken, and another party legislator, A Shivaram Hebbar, abstained from voting. The BJP is considering legal action against them and may file a complaint with Speaker U T Khader, alleging a violation of the party whip, potentially leading to their disqualification from the assembly.

BJP sweeps Uttar Pradesh

The BJP in Uttar Pradesh registered a resounding victory, showcasing dominance. The party secured eight seats out of ten, while the opposition Samajwadi Party faced a setback as one of its three candidates were defeated due to cross-voting.

“The election results have been declared. All eight candidates fielded by the BJP emerged victorious. Two SP candidates, Jaya Bachchan and Ramji Lal Suman, have won the elections,” confirmed a senior election official to PTI.

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The third SP candidate, Alok Ranjan, conceded defeat. Among the victorious BJP candidates were Union minister RPN Singh, former MP Chaudhary Tejveer Singh, Amarpal Maurya (general secretary of the party’s Uttar Pradesh unit), Sangeeta Balwant (Bind), Sudhanshu Trivedi (party spokesperson), Sadhna Singh (former MLA), Naveen Jain (former Agra mayor), and Sanjay Seth (industrialist).

Despite the ruling BJP and the principal opposition SP having enough numbers to send seven and three members, respectively, unopposed to the Rajya Sabha, the BJP strategically fielded an eighth candidate, leading to a keen contest for one seat. Seven MLAs of Akhilesh Yadav, one MLA of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) and one of Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) voted for the BJP.

Political drama in Himachal Pradesh

The lone Rajya Sabha seat in Himachal Pradesh became a focal point of controversy as the BJP claimed an unexpected victory. The voting ended in a tie, with both Congress and BJP candidates securing 34 votes each.

The result was determined by a draw of lots which marked a win for the BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan. Despite having a brute majority of 40 MLAs with the support of 3 Independent MLAs in the 68-member Himachal Assembly, Congress lost to the BJP due to cross-voting by at least six Congress MLAs and three Independents.

The upset in Himachal Pradesh has led to speculation that the BJP will be introducing a no-confidence motion against the 14-month-old Congress government led by Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly today.