Rajya Sabha Election 2024: Voting Underway for 15 Seats in UP, Karnataka, and Himachal Pradesh

Elections for 15 Rajya Sabha seats across Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Himachal Pradesh are currently underway. The voting process commenced at 9 am in the upper house, with the counting scheduled to start at 5 pm. In Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated eight candidates, while the Samajwadi Party has put forward three for the ten Rajya Sabha seats. However, the candidacy of Sanjay Seth has added an element of competition, making one seat potentially contested.

The BJP, with sufficient numbers, could secure seven members unopposed. To secure a Rajya Sabha seat from Uttar Pradesh, a candidate needs around 37 first-preference votes. In Karnataka, the Congress relocated all its MLAs to a hotel ahead of the biennial election to fill four vacancies. Five candidates, including Ajay Maken, Syed Naseer Hussain, and GC Chandrasekhar from Congress, Narayansa Bandage from BJP, and Kupendra Reddy from JD(S), are vying for the seats. Whips have been issued by all parties, raising concerns about potential cross-voting.

In Himachal Pradesh, the Congress has issued a whip instructing all its MLAs to vote for the party’s candidate, Abhishek Manu Singhvi. The BJP criticizes this move, asserting that legislators have the right to vote according to their preferences. Of the 56 Rajya Sabha seats up for grabs, 41 members have effectively secured their seats in the upper house. The results of today’s elections will have implications on the composition of the Rajya Sabha.