NDA Dominates Rajya Sabha Elections in Bihar, Odisha, and Haryana
NDA's Strong Performance in Rajya Sabha Elections
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) achieved a significant victory by winning all five Rajya Sabha seats in Bihar, three in Odisha, and one in Haryana during the elections held on Monday.
In Odisha, the Biju Janata Dal secured one seat, while the Congress party claimed one seat in Haryana.
The elections were conducted for a total of 37 Rajya Sabha seats across ten states, with voting necessary for only 11 of those seats. The remaining 26 candidates from seven states, including Maharashtra, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Assam, and Himachal Pradesh, were elected unopposed.
Among the NDA candidates elected from Bihar were Bharatiya Janata Party leader Nitin Nabin and Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister and president of Janata Dal (United).
Other elected members from Bihar included BJP's Shivesh Kumar, JD(U)’s Ramnath Thakur, and former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha, who leads the Rashtriya Lok Morcha.
Nitish Kumar, who took office as chief minister for the tenth time in November, is anticipated to resign following his election to the Rajya Sabha. He is currently a member of the legislative council and has previously served as both an MLA and a Lok Sabha MP.
In Odisha, the BJP's state president Manmohan Samal and party leader Sujeet Kumar were elected, along with Independent candidate Dilip Ray, whom the BJP supported. The opposition BJD's Santrupt Misra also won a seat from the state.
Reports indicated that at least eight BJD MLAs voted in favor of Ray, leading to accusations of cross-voting.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee chief Bhakta Charan Das stated that three of their MLAs had also voted for the BJP.
Earlier, BJD chief Naveen Patnaik accused the BJP of engaging in 'horse-trading'.
Counting Delays and Complaints in Haryana
In Haryana, the BJP's Sanjay Bhatia and Congress' Karamvir Boudh were declared the winners, but the counting process extended past midnight due to various complaints.
The counting was delayed by over five hours after Haryana minister Krishan Kumar Bedi reported that the BJP had lodged a complaint with the Election Commission, alleging that two Congress MLAs had breached the secrecy of their votes.
Bedi specifically mentioned legislators Bharat Singh Beniwal and Paramvir Singh, stating they failed to fold their ballots as required.
Conversely, the Congress party filed a complaint regarding a breach of secrecy involving Cabinet minister Anil Vij.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to the Election Commission, claiming there was an attempt to interfere with the election's integrity.
Kharge urged the Election Commission to address the situation promptly, emphasizing that no disqualification of legitimate votes should occur in what he described as a transparent attempt to undermine the electoral process.
Out of the 90-member Haryana Assembly, 88 MLAs participated in the voting, while two MLAs from the Indian National Lok Dal did not cast their votes.
The recent elections have further shifted the composition of the Rajya Sabha in favor of the ruling NDA, with another 34 vacancies expected to arise in the Upper House later this year.