Rajya Sabha Election updates: Congress wins three of four seats in Karnataka; BJP bags lone Himachal seat, eight in U.P.

The election to the 15 Rajya Sabha seats across Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh on February 27 was marked by cross-voting in all three States, despite parties issuing three-line whips, deviating from the norm.

But the move could start a legal debate as whips are not issued for Rajya Sabha elections. The absence of a whip and the appeal for a “conscience vote” makes it easy for MLAs to avoid any action under the anti-defection law or the 10th Schedule even if they cross-vote.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak said that all the eight candidates of the BJP won in the Rajya Sabha elections from the State.

The ruling BJP fielded eight candidates and the opposition Samajwadi Party three for elections to 10 Rajya Sabha seats from the State.

Samajwadi Party chief spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said two of the party’s three candidates -- Jaya Bachchan and Ramji Lal Suman -- have emerged victorious. The third SP candidate Alok Ranjan conceded defeat earlier.

- PTI

With the Congress dispensation in Himachal Pradesh under threat following cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha election, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge slammed the BJP saying democracy would be “destroyed” if the Centre’s ruling party continues to bring down elected governments.

Kharge said they would challenge the election as both the candidates got 34 votes each and the decision was taken on the basis of a lottery.

“If the government breaks an elected government, what democracy is it. It has happened earlier in Karnataka, Manipur, Goa. When they do not get elected, they take measures, intimidate them and break the government. Is this democracy?” Kharge asked at a summit hosted by the TV9 Network “Why they are doing this, I fail to understand. If they continue to do this, they will end democracy and demolish democracy and put the Constitution aside,” the Congress president said, adding that if they do such things by “force”, then this cannot continue like this in the country.

- PTI

Congress candidate Abhishek Singhvi lost the election for the lone Rajya Sabha seat to the Bharatiya Janta Party’s Harsh Mahajan, on the basis of a draw of lots, following a tie between both the candidates. Cross-voting by Congress MLAs helped the BJP to end up the battle to the Upper House in a draw.

After the win, Harsh Mahajan said it’s the win of the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. In Shimla, Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur said it’s an historic win of the BJP.

- Vikas Vasudeva

The Chief Minister alleged the MLAs have been kidnapped and they have got the visuals. He added that people of the country and Himachal Pradesh will never accept “the murder of democracy”.

- Vikas Vasudeva

BJP has accused Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu of violating the model code of conduct during the Rajya Sabha elections.

Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur alleged that Mr. Sukhu’s helicopter was sent to bring Congress MLA from Sudarshan Babloo from Hoshiarpur in Punjab, which he said, is violation of the model code of conduct.

He demanded that his vote should not be counted till a decision in this regard is taken by the election commission. Mr. Babloo, who was the last to cast his vote, had fallen ill on Monday.

- PTI

Amid the ongoing counting for the lone seat of Rajya Sabha seat, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has blamed the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) of threatening the counting officers, which he said was not good for the democracy. 

Mr. Sukhu said that five-six MLAs have been taken away by the CRPF and Haryana Police convoy. “The MLAs who have gone, their family members are trying to get in touch with them. They [MLAs] should get in touch and there’s nothing to fear. The way the Opposition is behaving, the people of Himachal will never accept it,” he said talking to journalist in Shimla.

He said the counting has started and the Congress has full majority.

- Vikas Vasudeva

While 45 votes were needed by each candidate to win in Karnataka, Mr. Maken received 47 votes, and Mr. Hussein and Mr. Chandrashekar received 47 votes and 45 votes respectively. Mr. Bhandage received 47 votes and Mr. Reddy received 36 votes. 

The Congress has 133 MLAs, excluding the Speaker, while the BJP and JD(S) have 66 and 19 legislators respectively, in the 223-member House. Others account for four. Totally, 222 members out of the total 223 (after death of Surpur MLA Raja Venkatappa Naik on Sunday), cast their votes in the election.

The ruling Congress in Karnataka won three seats and the BJP one in the Rajya Sabha elections in Karnataka.

Those who were elected to the Upper House are Ajay Maken, G.C. Chandrasekhar and Syed Naseer Hussain, all belonging to the Congress, and Narayansa K. Bhandage of the BJP.

Five candidates were in the fray for the four seats in the elections, including JD(S) contestant D. Kupendra Reddy.

The elections were marred by cross-voting. While one of the BJP MLAs, S T Somashekar, voted for the Congress’s Maken, the other, A Shivaram Hebbar, abstained.

- PTI

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The Karnataka BJP will file a complaint with Karnataka Assembly Speaker UT Khadar against party MLA ST Somashekar for cross-voting in favour of Congress in the Rajya Sabha polls.

The party further stated that it would also file a complaint against Shivaram Hebbar, who abstained from voting.

“BJP Karnataka to file a complaint with Karnataka assembly speaker UT Khadar against ST Somashekar for cross-voting and Shivaram Hebbar for his absence from the polling process,” BJP MLC N Ravi Kumar said.

- ANI

In a setback to the BJP-JD(S) alliance, saffron party MLA S.T. Somashekar voted for Congress candidate Ajay Maken while another MLA Arbail Shivaram Hebbar abstained from voting in the Rajya Sabha elections for four seats in Karnataka.

Somashekar and Hebbar, who are upset with the BJP, were seen getting closer with the Congress in recent months.

- PTI

As reports emerge of cross-voting among the Samajwadi Party MLAs in the ongoing Rajya Sabha elections, party chief Akhilesh Yadav in a post on X said, “Our third seat in the Rajya Sabha was actually a test to identify the true comrades”

In a setback to BJP-JD(S) alliance, saffron party MLA S.T. Somashekar voted for Congress during the Rajya Sabha elections in Karnataka.

Somashekar, who is upset with the BJP and had been rebellious against the party, voted in favour of the Congress candidate, the BJP leaders said and added that the party will be exploring legal option to deal with him.

“We have got the information that Somashekar has done cross-voting. I believe that people do not like cheating every now and then,” the Leader of Opposition R Ashoka told reporters here.

- PTI

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An FIR has been registered against the JD(S) leader contesting the Rajya Sabha elections in Karnataka, D. Kupendra Reddy, and his aides at the Vidhana Soudha police station in Bengaluru, former chief minister H. D. Kumaraswamy said on Tuesday.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah too confirmed that an FIR has been registered for “threatening” the Congress MLAs in connection with the Rajya Sabha elections.

“The Congress leaders not only spoke about allurement and threat to their MLAs time and again but also registered an FIR against Kupendra Reddy and his aides,” the JD(S) second-in-command told reporters. - PTI

Those looking to profit from the situation will leave, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said on Tuesday as the party’s chief whip in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly quit while voting was underway for 10 Rajya Sabha seats from the State.

Speaking to reporters at the Assembly before casting his vote, Mr. Yadav alleged that the ruling BJP would resort to any means to win elections. Action will be taken against such MLAs, he asserted.

As many as 214 MLAs in Karnataka exercised their franchise for the four Rajya Sabha seats on Tuesday till 1 p.m., Election Commission officials said.

The Congress has 133 MLAs, excluding the Speaker, while the BJP and JD(S) have 66 and 19 legislators respectively, in the 223-member House. Others account for four. However, one Congress MLA died on Sunday. - PTI

Meanwhile, despite a whip for BJP legislators to vote for party candidate, its member from Yellapura Shivaram Hebbar is speculated to have cross-voted in favour of the Congress candidate.

According to media reports, the BJP has pasted a copy of the party whip directing Mr. Hebbar to vote for coalition candidates at his room at Legislators Home, Vidhana Soudha.

In a major setback to the Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka, party MLA S.T. Somashekar has cross-voted in the ongoing Rajya Sabha elections which are being conducted for four seats on Tuesday, BJP Chief Whip in the State Assembly, Doddanagouda G. Patil said.

Mr. Somashekar voted in the favour of Congress party on Tuesday.

While speaking about the matter, Mr. Patil said that the party will look into the matter and strict action will be taken against the BJP MLA. “It is confirmed that S.T. Somashekar has cross-voted. We are discussing what can be done and what action to be taken,” he said.

Talking to reporters, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya claimed that SP chief Akhilesh Yadav made a mistake by fielding his third candidate and he does not the numbers.

“SP has become ‘Samaptwadi Party’ and all the eight candidates of the BJP will win,” Mr. Maurya added. 

The ruling BJP and the principal Opposition SP have the numbers to send seven and three members respectively unopposed to the Rajya Sabha, but with the BJP fielding its eighth candidate, a keen contest is on the cards in one of the seats.

Amidst fears of cross-voting, elections to the four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka got under way in Bengaluru on February 27. By noon, more than 112 legislators, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, had cast their votes. The result of the election will be announced by evening.

Five candidates Narayanasa K. Bhandage (BJP), G.C. Chandrashekar, Ajay Maken and Syed Naseer Hussein (Congress), and Kupendra Reddy (Janata Dal-Secular) are in the fray for the four seats. 

The elections are taking place as four members – Syed Naseer Hussein, G.C. Chandrashekar and L. Hanumanthaiah (Congress), and Rajeev Chandrashekar (BJP) are retiring in April after completion of their term.

Polling for the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Himachal Pradesh, which began at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, ended with Congress MLA from Chintpurni Sudershan Babloo casting the last vote.

The polling was brisk and all 68 members have voted. Independent MLA from Hamipur Ashish was the first to cast his vote.

Speaking to the reporters in Bengaluru, the Karnataka CM alleged that the BJP tried to poach Congress MLAs. 

“They (BJP) have also fielded candidates to win the elections, but for the 5th candidate they required 45 votes, do they have 45 votes? How will they win without numbers? Though they know that they don’t have numbers they fielded Kupendra Reddy and they tried to poach our MLAs, that’s why an FIR has been lodged against them,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday cast his vote for the ongoing Rajya Sabha elections in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.

While talking to the media, the Chief Minister targeted the BJP party, saying, “There is no such thing as an inner soul in the BJP; there is only money within the soul.”

“All our MLAs have voted for the elections. I hope they have all voted on the ideology of the party. We can only say anything once the results are declared. “BJP mein antar-aatma naam ki chiz nahi hai, waha toh paisa antar-aatma chalta hai’,” (Does BJP have a self-conscience or is money their only conscience) he said. - ANI

Speaking to reporters before casting his vote at the Assembly’s Tilak Hall earlier in the day, Akhilesh Yadav said those who were looking for a “profit” in this situation would leave.

The BJP will adopt any means necessary to win elections, he alleged, adding, “Those who put spikes in someone else’s path or dig holes for others will pay the price themselves.” “You have seen what happened in Chandigarh in front of CCTV cameras. I thank the Supreme Court, which saved the Constitution. 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,” Mr. Yadav said.

Polling for a Rajya Sabha election will be held only if the number of candidates exceeds the number of vacancies. Since the strength of each party in the Assembly is known, it is not difficult to estimate the number of seats a party would win in the Rajya Sabha poll. For instance, if there are four seats to be filled up, and the ruling party and its allies command a two-thirds majority, and the Opposition a third, it will mean that the election will go three seats to one in favour of the ruling party. In many States, parties avoid a contest by fielding candidates only in respect to their strength. Where an extra candidate enters the fray, voting becomes necessary.

The Rajya Sabha elections for four seats from Karnataka, which has raised curiosity with the entry of a fifth candidate, is being held on Tuesday. Four members, including two Independents, are expected to extend their support to the ruling Congress in the elections. The winners will be declared in the evening.

While the entry of Janata Dal (Secular) candidate D. Kupendra Reddy has made the elections to the fourth seat interesting, the Congress took no chance and herded its legislators to a hotel in Bengaluru on Monday evening. Barring Cabinet Ministers and senior legislators, most legislators have been put up in the hotel.

In a major setback to the Samajwadi Party, there appears to be a split between the Samajwadi Party and its ally the Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) as there was a heated argument over the phone between SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav and Apna Dal (K) Chief Pallavi Patel regarding Rajya Sabha voting on Tuesday, said sources.

“Akhilesh Yadav told Pallavi Patel on the phone that he does not need Pallavi Patel’s vote during the Rajya Sabha election,” the source added.

Amid cross-voting fears, voting in the elections for the four Rajya Sabha seats in Karnataka went underway on Tuesday, with the ruling Congress claiming it could get support from the rival camp.

Fearing cross-voting, both the Congress and the BJP-JD(S) alliance huddled their MLAs in a private resort on Monday and held a workshop for the new members on election process and how to cast their votes. 

The Congress has 133 MLAs, excluding the Speaker, while the BJP and JD(S) have 66 and 19 legislators, respectively, in the 223-member House. Others account for four. However, one Congress MLA died on Sunday.

The polling began at 9 a.m. and Independent MLA from Hamipur Ashish was the first to cast his vote. The polling was brisk and 64 out of the 68 members had cast their votes by 11 a.m.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh and Congress MLA from Chintpurni Sudershan Babloo who fell ill on Monday are yet to cast their votes.

Voting was underway in the elections for the 10 Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday with eight BJP candidates and three from the Samajwadi Party in the fray.