Rajya Sabha Elections 2022: The Bharatiya Janata Party registered a win in three of the four states where elections were held for 16 Rajya Sabha seats. The Congress retained three seats in Rajasthan, but suffered setback in Haryana. In Maharashtra, the ruling alliance suffered a jolt.
HD Deve Gowda's Janata Dal (Secular), whose home base is Karnataka, did not win a single seat in the Rajya Sabha election from the state today. BJP's Nirmala Sitharaman, Jaggesh and Lehar Singh Siroya took three out of the four seats, while the Congress's Jairam Ramesh won the only remaining seat.
In Haryana, there was midnight drama that ended in Congress heartbreak. After tweeting that Ajay Maken has won, the Congress had to delete the tweet when in recounting, BJP-backed media baron Kartikeya Shamra emerged the winner.
In Rajasthan, the Congress won three of the four Rajya Sabha seats it contested. One seat has gone to the BJP. A closely watched contest marked with cross-voting and defections -- was held on 16 seats across four states.
At least 41 candidates have already been elected unopposed. The Upper House election will be crucial in view of the Presidential elections which is scheduled to be held on 18 July.
Here are the Highlights on Rajya Sabha Elections 2022:
Maharashtra's ruling alliance suffered a massive setback today with the BJP winning a third seat in the state in straight fight against the Shiv Sena.
It's a matter of happiness for us. I thank all the MLAs for making Krishan Lal Panwar and Kartikeya Sharma win. It's a victory of democracy. I'm hopeful that both of them will raise the matters related to Haryana's people in the House, says Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
Results for all 16 seats are in
Maharashtra (6 Seats) | MVA: 3, BJP: 3
Rajasthan (4 Seats) | Cong: 3, BJP: 1
Karnataka (4 Seats) | BJP: 3, Cong: 1
Haryana (2 Seats) | BJP: 1, Independent (backed by BJP): 1
Haryana #RajyaSabhaResults | BJP's Krishan Lal Panwar and Independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma, backed by BJP, win the two seats; Congress's Ajay Maken loses. https://t.co/nq3er8R7aX pic.twitter.com/ehnTsHu9fR
- NDTV (@ndtv) June 10, 2022
The Election Commission has announced the results of four of the six seats in Maharashtra. The winners are as follows: BJP's Piyush Goyal (48 votes), BJP's Anil Bonde (48 votes), Congress leader Imran Pratapgarhi (44 votes) and NCP's Praful Patel (43 votes).
The Congress had a short-lived victory celebration for its leader Ajay Maken, who the party tweeted has won the Rajya Sabha election in Haryana. However, the party deleted the tweet minutes later after a recount was called by the Election Commission.
Objecting to the Election Commission's decision to ask the returning officer in Maharashtra to reject vote cast by Shiv Sena legislator Suhas Kande in the Rajya Sabha poll, party spokesperson Manisha Kayande on Saturday sought to know the reason behind the poll body's decision.
The Congress has tweeted that Ajay Maken has won in Haryana, however, the recounting is on.
After 8-hour delay, counting begins in Maharashtra. Citing rule violation, the BJP had asked that counting be stopped, while the Shiv Sena had appealed that votes be counted on Saturday morning.
The Election Commission has rejected the BJP's demand to declare the votes of Congress MLAs BB Batra and Kiran Choudhry invalid. Both votes will be counted towards final results. The voting is underway.
"We have urged the ECI to look into the matter and stop the counting," he added.
Hours before the Rajasthan Rajya Sabha election results, media baron Subhash Chandra had declared that "Rajasthan politics is the easiest". Mr Chandra, an independent candidate backed by the BJP, lost the election.
The Zee chairman, whose current Rajya Sabha term ends on August 1, made an eleventh hour entry into the contest for four seats in Rajasthan.
His rival, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari, won the seat. Mukul Wasnik and Randeep Surjewala won two more seats for the Congress. The BJP won one seat. Read here
Karnataka Rajya Sabha election winners:
Nirmala Sitharaman (BJP, 46)
Jaggesh (BJP, 44)
Jairam Ramesh (Congress, 46)
The BJP wins 3 seats in Karnataka, while the Congress managed to score one.
Haryana is yet to begin counting votes for the Rajya Sabha polls.
Congress manages to get more votes that it hoped for its candidates from Rajasthan in Rajya Sabha polls.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashk Gehlot wasted no time in sending a message to rival BJP soon after his party secured wins on all three Rajya Sabha seats it contested.
"It was clear from the beginning that the Congress had the required majority for all three seats. But BJP tried horse trading by fielding an independent. The solidarity of our MLAs has given a befitting reply to this effort. The BJP will face a similar defeat in the 2023 assembly elections as well," Mr Gehlot posted on Twitter.
BJP-backed Independent candidate and media baron Subhash Chandra lost his Rajya Sabha bid after he lost in Rajasthan.
Rajya Sabha elections winners from Rajasthan:
41 (Congress) Pramod Tiwari
42 (Congress) Mukul Wasnik
43 (Congress) Randeep Singh Surjewala
43 (BJP) Ghanshyam Tiwari
As voting ended for two Rajya Sabha seats in Haryana this evening, the ruling BJP sought the cancellation of votes cast by Congress MLAs Kiran Choudhary and BB Batra, alleging that they showed their preference of votes to several people other than the party agent, in violation of secrecy.
Soon after the last vote was cast around 5 pm, a BJP delegation of Union ministers Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Jitendra Singh met with the election officer with their complaint. The poll returning officer, however, said there was no violation in voting. Read here
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday alleged a violation of the poll code by three MLAs of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the Rajya Sabha elections in Maharashtra and urged the Returning Officer to hold their votes invalid. The BJP demanded that the votes of NCP leader Jitendra Awhad, Congress leader Yashomati Thakur and Shiv Sena's Suhas Kande be declared invalid.
The toughest fights are taking place in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Haryana where MLAs had been corralled to resorts to prevent poaching.
After casting his vote in favour of Congress in Rajya Sabha polls, Bharatiya Tribal Party legislator Rajkumar Roat on Friday targeted its own party chief Velaram Ghoghra, saying he has become "old" to understand the issues. BTP legislators, Roat and Ramprasad Dindor voted in support of the ruling Congress candidates in the Rajya Sabha polls on Friday going against their party chief who had issued whip to its MLAs to not take part in the election process.
The All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has decided to vote in favour of the Congress candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls from Maharashtra being held on Friday. Seven candidates are contesting for the six seats from Maharashtra where polling is being held today. Read here
A BJP MLA's vote in the tense Rajya Sabha race in Rajasthan triggered a controversy as media baron Subhash Chandra demanded that it be declared "invalid", alleging that a BJP poll observer had held the vote slip.
#NewsAlert | "BJP raises objections on three votes of MVA - Yashomati Thakur of Congress, Jitendra Awhad (NCP) and Suhas Kande (Sena). BJP requests Returning Officer to hold their votes invalid": Parag Alawani, polling agent for BJP leader Piyush Goyal on #RajyaSabhaPolls
- NDTV (@ndtv) June 10, 2022
(ANI) pic.twitter.com/dOjtCP11R5
Rajasthan BJP MLA Shobha Rani Kushwaha was accused of voting for the Congress
#RajyaSabhaElection2022 | Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik's Plea To Leave Jail For Vote Rejected https://t.co/aDUGHAur65
- NDTV (@ndtv) June 10, 2022
NDTV's Sohit Mishra reports pic.twitter.com/T2fNeN5p5m
Srinivas Gowda was asked whom he voted for as he was leaving the assembly complex. "I voted Congress," he said. Asked why, he kept it brief, "Because I love it." He has said that he will quit the HD Kumaraswamy-led JD(S) and join the Congress.
89 MLAs have voted in Haryana so far; the state has a 90-member Assembly. While one Independent, Balraj Kundu, said he has abstained from voting.
#ElectionsWithNDTV | 41 MPs across party lines were elected unopposed to #RajyaSabha
- NDTV (@ndtv) June 10, 2022
LIVE updates: https://t.co/ZG4632ZTrS pic.twitter.com/DgOzJTmWkh
The race for six Maharashtra seats in the Rajya Sabha elections goes down to the wire today with seven candidates for six seats and a majority still eluding rival candidates for the sixth seat.
In Haryana, there are three candidates for the two Rajya Sabha seats - BJP's Krishan Lal Panwar, Congress's Ajay Maken, and Kartikeya Sharma, who is the son of former Union minister Venod Sharma
The Congress has fielded Randeep Surjewala, Mukul Wasnik and Pramod Tiwari while the BJP has fielded Ghanshyam Tiwari while the BJP has supported independent candidate Subhash Chandra.
Voting is underway in the Rajya Sabha polls for four seats from Karnataka, amid suspense over the fourth seat that has led to a heated contest between the two major opposition parties -- Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular). JD(S) chief HD Kumaraswa
BSP-turned-Congress MLAs, who had expressed resentment with the ruling Congress government in Rajasthan, were among those who cast their votes as soon as the voting began for the Rajya Sabha elections for the four seats in the state on Friday morning.
#RajyaSabhaElections | Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai casts his vote at Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru.
- NDTV (@ndtv) June 10, 2022
(ANI) pic.twitter.com/DM1T0cohRE
The All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has decided to vote in favour of the Congress candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls from Maharashtra being held on Friday.
#RajyaSabhaElections | "We are going to win comfortably": Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot#ElectionsWithNDTV pic.twitter.com/WFqElMOdiC
- NDTV (@ndtv) June 10, 2022
#ElectionsWithNDTV | Maharashtra MLAs reach Vidhan Sabha in Mumbai for the #RajyaSabhaElections. pic.twitter.com/R1QRqmUluI
- NDTV (@ndtv) June 10, 2022
Rajasthan Congress MLAs were moved from Udaipur to Jaipur ahead of the voting for the Rajya Sabha elections that are slated to be held on Friday and party leaders are hoping to secure three seats in the Upper House of the parliament.
Elections will be held to fill 16 vacant seats in Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament, today. 41 candidates have been elected unopposed. The election will be crucial in view of the Presidential elections due in July.
Fearing poaching of legislators ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections, the Rajasthan government on Thursday ordered the suspension of internet services in the Amer area of Jaipur district for 12 hours till 9 am on Friday, where Congress MLAs are staying after they returned from Udaipur.