Rajya Sabha Polls: High-Stakes Battle In UP, Karnataka Cong MLAs Moved To Hotel Amid Cross-Voting Fears

Rajya Sabha biennial elections are set to witness polling in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Himachal Pradesh amid fears of cross-voting.

The Rajya Sabha biennial elections slated for Tuesday have already seen 41 candidates declared victorious due to the absence of opposition, leaving 15 seats open for polling. Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Himachal Pradesh are the states where polling will take place. Voting for the Rajya Sabha seats will be held today and the results will also be announced later in the day. 

Uttar Pradesh: High-Stakes Electoral Battle

In the 403-member Uttar Pradesh State Assembly, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) stand as the two largest parties, boasting 252 and 108 MLAs respectively. The Congress, aligned with the SP, holds two seats. Additionally, BJP ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) has 13 seats, the NISHAD Party holds six, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) has nine, the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) maintains six, Jansatta Dal Loktantrik has two, and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) holds one seat. Currently, four seats remain vacant.

Among the BJP's candidates are former Union minister RPN Singh, former MP Chaudhary Tejveer Singh, Amarpal Maurya, the general secretary of the party's Uttar Pradesh unit, former state minister Sangeeta Balwant, party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi, former MLA Sadhna Singh, and former Agra mayor Naveen Jain. On the other side, the Samajwadi Party has fielded actor-MP Jaya Bachchan, retired IAS officer Alok Ranjan, and Dalit leader Ramji Lal Suman.

In order to secure a Rajya Sabha seat from Uttar Pradesh, a candidate requires nearly 37 first preference votes, according to an official cited by PTI. Returning Officer Brijbhushan Dubey stated that a candidate will need 36.37 first preference votes to emerge victorious, as per PTI. Presently, the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly comprises 399 MLAs. Notably, SP MLAs Irfan Solanki and Ramakant Yadav, along with Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) legislator Abbas Ansari, are currently serving time in prison.

Polling for the Rajya Sabha elections will take place from 9 am to 4 pm, with counting set to commence from 5 pm. The results are anticipated to be announced on Tuesday night, he informed.

According to PTI, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya expressed confidence in the BJP's success, stating, "All the BJP candidates will register a win in the Rajya Sabha elections."

SP's chief whip in the legislative assembly, Manoj Pandey, assured, "All SP MLAs will be voting for the party's candidates in the Rajya Sabha election."

As per PTI, Congress MLA Virendra Chaudhary affirmed, "With the Congress and SP forging an alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha election, the picture here is also very clear. We will vote for the candidates fielded by the SP."

Karnataka: Potential for Cross-Voting?

Ahead of the biennial election in Karnataka to fill four vacancies in the Rajya Sabha, the Congress has moved all its MLAs to a hotel to maintain unity. Five candidates, including nominees from Congress, BJP, and JD(S), are in the fray, PTI reported. Amid fears of cross-voting, parties have issued whips to their MLAs. The BJP-JD(S) alliance's decision to field a second candidate has intensified the electoral scenario.

Here, five candidates — Ajay Maken, Syed Naseer Hussain and G C Chandrasekhar (all Congress), Narayansa Bandage (BJP), and Kupendra Reddy (JD(S)) — are in the fray.    

Himachal Pradesh: BJP Objects To Congress' Whip

In Himachal Pradesh, the BJP has accused the Congress of pressuring its MLAs by issuing a whip to vote for party candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi. BJP's Rajya Sabha candidate Harsh Mahajan raised objections, stating such actions undermine the democratic process, as reported by PTI. Despite Congress' majority, the BJP is contesting with optimism.

Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur criticised the Congress for issuing a whip directing its MLAs to vote for party candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi. Thakur highlighted that the Election Commission of India explicitly stated that whips cannot be issued for elections, suggesting that the Congress's action aims to pressure its legislators, as per PTI. He emphasised that the Congress instructed its MLAs to display the ballot paper to the party's authorised agent, with failure to comply resulting in invalidation of votes. Thakur alleged that the police were monitoring the MLAs' phones and tracking their locations, PTI reported.

Concerned about BJP Rajya Sabha candidate Harsh Mahajan's potential victory claims, the Congress previously issued a whip instructing its MLAs to vote for Abhishek Manu Singhvi. In response, the BJP candidate filed a complaint with the chief election commissioner, condemning the Congress's whip as unethical and detrimental to the decision-making ability of MLAs.

Mahajan, a former three-time Congress MLA and minister who joined the BJP after resigning from the party in September 2022, voiced his objections to the Congress's tactics ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections.

Polling for one Rajya Sabha seat in Himachal Pradesh will take place on Tuesday. The Congress has a clear majority with 40 out of 68 MLAs and the support of three independent MLAs. Despite the fact that the BJP, with 25 MLAs, is far behind in the number game, it has forced a contest by fielding Mahajan against Singhvi.