RS elections: Battle for 15 seats today amid cross-voting concerns
Polling for 15 Rajya Sabha seats is taking place in three states—Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh—on Tuesday, amid concerns over cross-voting by the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP) MLAs. Elections were slated to be held for 56 seats, however, 41 members have already been elected unopposed to the Upper House. These members include former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Bharatiya Janata Party chief JP Nadda, Congress turncoat Ashok Chavan, and Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Why does this story matter?
A fierce competition is anticipated for the remaining 15 Rajya Sabha seats, which include 10 from Uttar Pradesh, four from Karnataka and one from Himachal Pradesh. Interestingly, the fate of three seats—one each in the three states—hangs in the balance. The Rajya Sabha currently comprises 245 members, with MPs serving a six-year term. Elections for 33% of the seats are held every two years.
BJP, SP face-off on 1 seat
In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP has nominated eight candidates, while the opposition SP has put forward three names for the 10 Rajya Sabha seats. Both parties have enough members to secure seven and three seats respectively without any opposition. However, the BJP's decision to field Sanjay Seth as its eighth candidate, suggests that a face-off is likely on one seat. The BJP is reportedly relying on votes from the Rashtriya Lok Dal, which has unofficially joined the National Democratic Alliance.
Congress shifts MLAs to a hotel
In Karnataka, the incumbent Congress has relocated all its MLAs to a hotel in preparation for the election to fill four vacancies in the Rajya Sabha. Five candidates are vying for these seats: Ajay Maken, Syed Naseer Hussain, and G C Chandrasekhar from the Congress, Narayansa Bandage from the BJP, and Kupendra Reddy from Janata Dal (Secular). All parties have issued whips to their MLAs, amid concerns of potential cross-voting.
BJP forces contest on single seat
In Himachal Pradesh, the BJP has forced a contest for the state's single seat by nominating Harsh Mahajan to go up against Congress's Abhishek Manu Singhvi. Despite the Congress having 40 MLAs compared to the BJP's 25, the election is being viewed as a matter of prestige for Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. The Congress has issued a whip to all its MLAs to vote for the party candidate.
BJP wins 20 of 41 Rajya Sabha seats
The term of office for 50 Rajya Sabha members from 13 states is set to conclude on April 2, while the remaining six members from two states are due to retire on April 3. Of the 41 "decided seats," the BJP has won the highest number of 20 seats. The Congress is at the second place with six seats, followed by the Trinamool Congress with four seats.
How are Rajya Sabha MPs elected
Rajya Sabha MPs are elected by MLAs using the proportional representation process with the single transferable vote (STV) system. MLAs must rank candidates in order of preference. The candidate with the most first-choice votes is elected. If no candidate receives enough first-choice votes, the votes are transferred to the next preferred candidate on the list.
