
Rajya Sabha Election Results 2024
In a significant turn of events, the Congress faced a setback in Himachal Pradesh as the BJP secured victory in the Rajya Sabha elections, marked by instances of cross-voting across all three states. The Congress hoarded three seats in Karnataka, while the BJP clinched an additional seat in Uttar Pradesh.
Voting took place for a total of 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh, four in Karnataka, and one in Himachal Pradesh. Back in Feb-2020, the Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and L. Murugan, were elected with no opponents to the Upper House. It also included 41 candidates along with BJP chief J.P. Nadda, and Sonia Gandhi – former Congress President.
The Rajya Sabha election in Himachal Pradesh witnessed cross-voting, leading to the victory of BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan over Congress’s Abhishek Manu Singhvi. Mahajan emerged victorious through a draw of lots after both candidates secured 34 votes each. The results revealed that six. Congress MLAs and three Independents voted in favor of the BJP. Currently, the Congress holds 40 MLAs, BJP 25, with three independents in the 68-member Himachal Pradesh assembly.
Singhvi criticized the BJP’s decision to field a candidate against a party with 40 members compared to its 25, suggesting it reflected the BJP’s intent to win by any means necessary. In Uttar Pradesh, amid concerns about cross-voting, SP chief whip Manoj Pandey resigned while polling was ongoing. Yadav had set up a meeting on Monday, wherein 8 SP MLAs did not attend. BJP’s Sanjay Seth, an industrialist, defeated SP candidate Alok Ranjan.
Other BJP candidates who emerged victorious include former Union minister RPN Singh, former MP Chaudhary Tejveer Singh, Amarpal Maurya, Sangeeta Balwant (Bind), Sudhanshu Trivedi, Sadhna Singh, and Naveen Jain. SP’s Jaya Bachchan secured another term, while Dalit leader Ramji Lal Suman secured the second seat for the party. In Karnataka, five candidates contested for the four seats, with D Kupendra Reddy from JD(S).
The elected candidates included Narayansa K Bhandage from the BJP, and Ajay Maken, G C Chandrasekhar, and Syed Naseer Hussain from Congress. SP president Akhilesh Yadav warned of strict action against MLAs who engaged in crossvoting caused by Congress and other oppositions to the ruling party, emphasizing that those seeking to benefit would face consequences.
The BJP’s Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya claimed that Yadav’s decision to field a third candidate was a mistake, suggesting a lack of adequate numbers. On February 20, the BJP won 20 seats unopposed, followed by Congress (6), Trinamool Congress (4), YSR Congress (3), RJD (2), BJD (2), and NCP, Shiv Sena, BRS, and JD(U) with one each.
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