Former Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia, who joined the BJP earlier this year, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh and ex-Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren were among those elected to 19 Rajya Sabha seats on Friday. These included 18 seats for which elections were due in March but were deferred due the lockdown.
Of the three seats that went to the polls in Madhya Pradesh, Mr. Scindia and Sumer Singh Solanki, both of the BJP, won with 56 and 55 votes respectively, according to an official of the Vidhan Sabha. Mr. Singh was re-elected to the Upper House with 57 votes. The second preference candidate of the Congress, Phool Singh Baraiya, secured 36 votes, falling short of reaching the 52 mark to be elected. Two votes were declared invalid.
YSR Congress bags all seats in A.P.
All four seats up for grabs in Andhra Pradesh were won by the ruling-YSRCP, taking the party’s strength in the Upper House from two to six. Legislature Secretary and Returning Officer P. Balakrishnamacharyulu said the four victorious candidates, Ayodhya Rami Reddy Alla, Nathwani Parimal, Pilli Subhaschandra Bose and Venkataramana Rao Mopidevi polled 38 votes each. The opposition Telugu Desam Party candidate, Varla Ramaiah, secured 17 votes, he said.
Congress wins two seats in Rajasthan
In Rajasthan, the ruling Congress won two of the three seats that went to polls, while the Opposition BJP got one. All-India Congress Committee general secretary K.C. Venugopal and former Youth Congress State president Neeraj Dangi were declared winners as Congress candidates, while BJP State vice-president Rajendra Gehlot also got elected.
Four seats in Karnataka and one in Arunachal Pradesh were also supposed to go to polls on Friday, but the candidates were declared elected unopposed.
For two Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand, the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Deepak Prakash and ruling party Jharkhand Mukti Morcha candidate Shibu Soren were elected comfortably while, the Congress candidate Shahzada Anwar lost the poll.
For Meghalaya’s lone seat, W.R. Kharlukhi of the National People’s Party, with 39 out of 58 valid votes, defeated K.C. Khyriem of the Congress. In Mizoram, K. Vanlalvena of the Mizo National Front won the single seat up for grabs with 27 out of 40 seats, beating Lallianchhunga of the Congress and B. Lalchhanzova of the Zoram People’s Movement.
In Manipur, the State’s titular king Leisemba Sanajaoba, the BJP candidate, was declared the winner after a day of high drama. The Congress, which had fielded, T. Mangi Babu, for the lone Manipur seat had asked the Election Commission of India to reject two votes. According to ECI officials, it was decided that the Congress’ complaint did not require its intervention.
Counting of votes delayed by four hours in Gujarat
Counting of votes for four Rajya Sabha seats in Gujarat was delayed by about four hours, instead of starting at 5 p.m. as scheduled, as the Congress demanded that the Election Commission invalidate two BJP votes. Three BJP candidates, Abhay Bhardwaj, Ramila Bara and Narhari Amin, and one Congress candidate, Shaktisinh Gohil, were declared winners.
Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani said the Congress sought cancellation of votes cast by BJP MLA Kesrisinh Solanki and minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama.
The Congress objected to Mr. Chudasama casting his vote on the ground that his election was annulled by Gujarat High Court last month. The Supreme Court has stayed that order. As for Mr. Solanki’s vote, the party claimed that an unauthorised person accompanied him inside the polling booth, referring to a person who was deployed to move his wheelchair as he came directly from hospital.
Four seats in Karnataka and one in Arunachal Pradesh were also supposed to go to polls on Friday, but the candidates were declared elected unopposed after the last date for withdrawal of candidature on June 12. Among the MPs elected from Karnataka was former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda.
(With PTI inputs)
Published - June 19, 2020 07:48 pm IST
