The BJP received a boost in the Rajya Sabha elections on Friday, which were held in four states: Maharashtra, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Karnataka, amid claims of impropriety and horse-trading.
After results were delayed in Haryana and Maharashtra, late-night high drama ensued, but the BJP won three seats in the western state and one seat in Manohar Lal Khattar’s Haryana. In Maharashtra, the Maha Vikas Aghadi, or Congress-NCP-Shiv Sena coalition, won three seats, with Sena’s Sanjay Raut remaining a member of the upper chamber. Overall, the BJP has gained support in three of the four states.
The following are the most recent developments on the Rajya Sabha elections:
- Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal, both union ministers, were elected in Karnataka and Maharashtra, respectively. In this round of Rajya Sabha elections, they were among the top candidates.
- In Maharashtra, Praful Patel of the NCP, Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena, Imran Pratapgarhi of the Congress, Anil Bonde of the BJP, and Dhananjay Mahadik of the BJP have all been elected to the Rajya Sabha.
- Three members of the ruling party, cabinet ministers Jitendra Awhad (Nationalist Congress Party) and Yashomati Thakur (Indian National Congress), as well as Shiv Sena legislator Suhas Kande, have been charged with violating the model code of conduct in Maharashtra, where the Sena-NCP-Congress coalition hoped to win a majority of six seats for which voting was held.
- Congress candidates Pramod Tiwari, Mukul Wasnik, and Randeep Surjewala were elected in Rajasthan. “The Congress’ triumph in three Rajya Sabha seats is a victory for democracy. I congratulate Pramod Tiwari, Mukul Wasnik, and Randeep Surjewala on their re-election to the House of Commons. I am confident that they will be a powerful advocate for Rajasthan’s rights in Delhi “Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister, sent out a tweet.
- The BJP won one of the four seats with Ghanshyam Tiwari’s victory. Subhash Chandra, the media mogul, did not make the cut. In the 200-member state assembly, the Congress has 108 legislators while the BJP has 71. Chandra was previously elected to the Rajya Sabha from Haryana. Shobharani Kushwah, a BJP MLA, has been suspended for cross-voting in favour of Congress’ Pramod Tiwari.
- A twist occurred in Haryana, which resulted in an embarrassment for the Congress. Ajay Maken, the party’s candidate, was defeated by Kartikeya Sharma, an independent candidate sponsored by the BJP. He is the son of Venod Sharma, a former Congress minister, and the son-in-law of Kuldeep Sharma, a Congress leader.
- With Krishan Lal Panwar’s victory, the BJP has won one of the two seats. “For us, it’s a matter of joy. I want to express my gratitude to all of the MLAs who helped Krishan Lal Panwar and Kartikeya Sharma win. It’s a democratic win. I’m hoping that both of them will bring up issues concerning Haryana’s citizens in the House “Manohar Lal Khattar, the chief minister, said reporters
Meanwhile, in Karnataka, a schism between former coalition allies the JDS and the Congress is deepening. Due to a cross-vote by two JDS leaders, the BJP won three of the four seats, despite rifts between the JDS and the Congress.
“Other parties assisted us,” BJP’s CT Ravi remarked after Sitharman, actor-politician Jaggesh, and member of the legislative council Lehar Singh Siroya won.
- In the Rajya Sabha, 41 candidates from 11 states were elected unopposed last week. In just a few days, 57 candidates were elected to the upper chamber.
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