Rajya Sabha Election: Polling Concludes In Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Himachal Amid Cross-Voting Concerns

Rajya Sabha Election: Three states Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Karnataka saw polling for Rajya Sabha seats with results expected later in the day

Voting concluded on Tuesday for the Rajya Sabha election in three states Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Karnataka amid concerns about cross-voting between prominent parties like the Congress, the BJP, and the Samajwadi Party. The results are expected to be announced later in the day.

Voting Concludes for Rajya Sabha Polls in Uttar Pradesh Amid Cross-Voting Concerns

Voting for 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh concluded on Tuesday evening amidst apprehensions within the Samajwadi Party (SP) regarding cross-voting and the unexpected resignation of the party's chief whip during the polling process. As reported by news agency PTI, out of the 399 members in the 403-member Assembly, 395 exercised their voting rights, while three MLAs were unable to vote due to incarceration. The identity of the fourth absentee remains unconfirmed.

The voting commenced at 9 am and concluded at 4 pm. Brijbhushan Dubey, the Returning Officer, mentioned that the vote counting will commence at 5 pm, with results anticipated later tonight.

Several prominent leaders, including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, and SP president Akhilesh Yadav, participated in the voting process. Yadav addressed concerns over potential cross-voting, warning of repercussions for any such actions. As per PTI, the SP chief remarked, "Those who wanted to profit from the situation will go. Those who were given assurances (by the BJP) will go."

Expressing suspicion towards the BJP's tactics, Yadav stated, "The BJP can adopt all tricks to win elections. It must have given assurance (to some MLAs) of some profit... BJP will do anything to win."

Despite having the requisite numbers in the Assembly, both the ruling BJP and the principal opposition SP decided to field additional candidates, making the electoral contest more intriguing. BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya asserted confidence in their victory, stating, "The SP has become 'Samaptwadi Party' and all the eight candidates of the BJP will win", as quoted by PTI.

The Samajwadi Party has fielded actor-MP Jaya Bachchan, retired IAS officer Alok Ranjan, and Dalit leader Ramji Lal Suman. Notably, industrialist Sanjay Seth, a former SP member who joined the BJP in 2019, stands as a BJP candidate, potentially benefiting from any cross-voting within the SP ranks.

In Uttar Pradesh, a candidate requires nearly 37 first-preference votes to secure a Rajya Sabha seat.

Setback for BJP-JD(S) Alliance in Karnataka as MLA Cross-Votes

In a setback to the BJP-JD(S) alliance in Karnataka, BJP MLA S T Somashekar reportedly cast his vote in favour of the Congress candidate during the Rajya Sabha elections on Tuesday. Somashekar's decision, attributed to his discontent with the BJP, has stirred controversy within the party.

Leader of Opposition R Ashoka condemned Somashekar's action, stating, "We have got the information that Somashekar has done cross-voting." Ashoka further added that legal actions would be explored against Somashekar for his deviation from party lines.

With 214 MLAs exercising their franchise for the four Rajya Sabha seats in Karnataka, the voting process began at 9 am and continued till 4 pm. The vacant seats resulted from the retirement of four members.

Cross-Voting Concerns In Himachal Pradesh

Polling for the sole Rajya Sabha seat from Himachal Pradesh concluded on Tuesday, marked by concerns within the Congress party over potential cross-voting. Sudershan Babloo, the ruling party MLA from Chintpurni, cast the final vote as the polling, starting at 9 am, proceeded briskly with all 68 members exercising their franchise, PTI reported.

Independent MLA Ashish from Hamirpur was the first to cast his vote, as per PTI's report. Babloo, reportedly unwell, was airlifted to the Assembly to participate in the voting process. After casting his ballot, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu remarked that the MLAs had voted in accordance with the party's ideology. "We have 40 MLAs in the state assembly, and unless MLAs are bought off, we will get all the votes," he stated, fueling speculation regarding potential cross-voting.

Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur emphasised the democratic right of MLAs to vote, stating that it was not imperative for the candidate to be elected unopposed. He expressed hope that all MLAs would exercise their conscious vote.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielded Harsh Mahajan against Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi. The BJP claimed Mahajan's candidacy was well-supported, as several Congress MLAs responded to their call to exercise a conscience vote. Mahajan expressed doubt regarding the unanimous support within the Congress party for Singhvi, citing discrepancies in their body language.

HPCC president Pratibha Singh's remarks on discontent among several MLAs, particularly regarding the accommodation of senior party leader Rajinder Rana in the ministry, intensified speculations of cross-voting. Singh added that the BJP would resort to any means to secure victory.

Mahajan, a former Congress MLA and minister who joined the BJP in September 2022, contested against Singhvi despite Congress holding a clear majority with 40 out of the 68 MLAs, supported by three independent MLAs. Despite the BJP's lesser number of 25 MLAs, they forced a contest. 

The Congress issued a whip to its MLAs to vote for Singhvi, prompting the BJP to accuse them of pressurising members. The BJP candidate lodged a complaint with the chief election commissioner, decrying the Congress whip as unethical and potentially compromising the MLAs' decision-making ability.