Lucknow: The
Rajya Sabha elections underway in Uttar Pradesh got tighter after a legislator from Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) claimed that he voted for the BJP. This morning,
Anil Kumar Singh, a BSP leader, came out after casting his vote and told reporters that he has cross-voted for the BJP-backed candidate. The leader from Mayawati's party came out and declared, referring to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath: "I am with
Maharajji." The
Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh are happening close on the heels of the BJP's bypoll humiliation in the state. However, the BJP is attempting to turn the narrative in the state by capturing an extra Rajya Sabha seat from India's largest state.
The BJP is assured of victory for eight of its candidates from Uttar Pradesh, including Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, whose term from Gujarat is coming to an end. With surplus votes after electing these eight, the BJP has put up a ninth candidate - businessman Anil Agarwal. He will go up against the Bahujan Samaj Party's Bhim Rao Ambedkar. The Samajwadi Party has the votes to re-elect its current Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan and has said it will transfer its surplus votes to the BSP candidate, who also has the backing of the Congress Party. Presently, the BJP has 58 Rajya Sabha MPs. The
BJP candidates in the fray from UP are Union finance minister Arun Jaitley, Ashok Bajpai, Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, Sakal Deep Rajbhar, Kanta Kardam, Anil Jain, Harnath Singh Yadav, GVL Narasimha Rao and Anil Kumar Agarwal.
Here are the LIVE Updates of Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha election 2018:
Mar 23, 2018 17:54 (IST)
Counting stopped in UP after complaints by Samajwadi Party, BSP against lawmakers who cross-voted. The parties say that those who cross-voted did not disclose their ballots to the counting agents of the respective parties which is the norm.
Mar 23, 2018 14:59 (IST)
After voting, Raja Bhaiya goes to meet Yogi Adityanath in his room in assembly
Mar 23, 2018 14:38 (IST)
The contest in one of 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh was set to go down to the wire as the BJP worked to upstage the Samajwadi Party and Mayawati, who joined forces to defeat the ruling party in two of its key parliamentary strongholds.
Mar 23, 2018 12:08 (IST)
Two jailed lawmakers - one each from the SP and BSP - who would have voted for the BSP candidate, are out for the count. Two independent candidates are likely to vote for the BSP candidate. "There will be no cross-voting, but yes, BJP MLAs will cross-vote in our favour," Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav told ANI.
Mar 23, 2018 11:24 (IST)
All the nine candidates of BJP will win. Samajwadi Party insulted their worker and people will answer them for choosing a candidate that entertains the society rather than one who serves the society: BJP leader Nitin Agrawal. He is the son of Naresh Agrawal, who joined the BJP recently
Mar 23, 2018 11:13 (IST)
Anil Singh met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath last night after attending his party boss Mayawati's dinner, reports NDTV's Alok Pandey.
Mar 23, 2018 09:05 (IST)
Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha Election: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav gathered his flock for dinner one more time last evening. After getting estranged uncle Shivpal Yadav on his side on Wednesday, Akhilesh Yadav got his sulking father Mulayam Singh Yadav to attend yesterday's meet. SP is sure to win one of the 10 seats but it is anxious about being able to keep up its deal with Mayawati after winning bypolls with her support.