Rajya Sabha elections: BJP, Congress bag 3 each in Karnataka, Rajasthan

Counting halted in Maharashtra, Haryana over accusations of rule violations

The ruling Congress on Friday won three of the four Rajya Sabha seats in Rajasthan, overcoming the challenge posed by BJP-backed independent candidate Subhash Chandra, according to the party. The BJP got the fourth seat.

Congress candidates Randeep Surjewala, Mukul Wasnik, and Pramod Tiwari were elected to the Rajya Sabha, according to a tweet by Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. BJP candidate and former minister Ghanshyam Tiwari said he had also won, polling 43 votes. 

“Congress's victory on three Rajya Sabha seats in Rajasthan is a victory of democracy. I congratulate all the three newly elected MPs Shri Pramod Tiwari, Shri Mukul Wasnik and Shri Randeep Surjewala. I am sure that all the three MPs will be able to strongly advocate the rights of Rajasthan in Delhi," Gehlot tweeted.

Speaking to reporters, Tiwari said, "I am thankful to the state and the central leadership for making me the candidate. I got 43 votes." The statements came before the official announcement of the results.

All 200 Rajasthan MLAs had cast their votes for the Rajya Sabha elections by Friday afternoon. In the House, the Congress has 108 MLAs, BJP 71, Independents 13, Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) three, and the CPI(M) and the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) two each. 

In Karnataka, election officials said the ruling BJP won three out of four seats, while Congress bagged one. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, actor-politician Jaggesh, ex-MLC Lehar Singh Siroya of the BJP and former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh of Congress were declared elected from the state. 

The JD(S) leadership claimed at least two disgruntled MLAs did not vote in favour of its candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls for four seats from Karnataka, defying the party's diktat, with one of its legislators admitting he did so since he "loved" voting for the Congress nominee.

The counting of votes for the Rajya Sabha elections was delayed on Friday in Maharashtra and Haryana over alleged violation of rules, officials said.

The counting was held up in Maharashtra after opposition BJP alleged three MLAs of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)--Cabinet ministers Jitendra Awhad (NCP) and Yashomati Thakur (Congress), besides Shiv Sena legislator Suhas Kande violated the model code for voting. "We have filed an appeal before the Election Commission of India, seeking that their votes be held invalid," said a state BJP leader.

The BJP has alleged that Awhad and Thakur handed over their ballots to their party agents instead of only showing them the ballots, while Kande showed his ballot to two different agents.

The counting has been put on hold in Haryana for identical reasons. The BJP and the Independent candidate backed by it have urged the Election Commission to cancel the votes of two Congress MLAs.

BJP nominee Krishan Lal Panwar and Independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma shot off a missive to the EC, alleging Congress MLAs Kiran Choudhary and B B Batra showed their ballot papers to unauthorised persons after marking them and that the episodes were "duly captured" on cameras.