New Delhi: BJP has successfully clinched three of four states where the Rajya Sabha election saw a close contest. Amid the allegations of cross-voting and foul play in voting, Congress defended three seats in Rajasthan but suffered a huge loss in Haryana.
Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal, former minister for states Anil Bonds and Dhananjay Mahadik were the big names among BJP candidates elected to the Upper House. Congress leaders Randeep Surjewala and Jairam Ramesh managed to enter Rajya Sabha. But, former union minister Ajay Maken lost dramatically from Haryana.
In Karnataka, BJP registered an emphatic win by defending all three seats contested. Congress won one seat and JDS lost the only contested seat. A fight between JDS and Congress helped BJP’s third candidate to win the seat. Leher Singh Siroya triumphed over Congress’s Mansoor Ali Khan and JDS’s Kupendra Reddy with the help of 90-second preference votes.
In Rajasthan, Congress managed to win three out of four RS seats with cross-voting by BJP members. One seat has gone to BJP. Media baron Subhash Chandra whose entry spiced up the electoral process lost. He was backed by BJP and also urge the Congressmen to vote for him, which went in vain.
Maharashtra witnessed a tough contest for six seats where BJP managed to seize three seats and MVA won in three. Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut, NCP’s Praful Patel, and Congress’s Imran Pratapgarh won the fiercely-fought elections.
Congress suffered a major setback in Haryana where it lost both seats. BJP’s Krishan Lal Panwar and BJP-backed independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma won the election. Congress’s Ajay Maken lost after failing to secure any second preference votes.
