Rajya Sabha Election 2024: 15 Seats and 3 States in Spotlight, Parties on Alert for Cross Voting

Rajya Sabha Election 2024: Today's elections for 15 Rajya Sabha seats are being contested in three states due to worries over cross-voting by MLAs from the Congress and Samajwadi Party. Three seats are up for grabs: one each from Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, which is held by the Congress, and Uttar Pradesh.

Unopposed Victories

Already, 41 leaders for 56 seats have been elected without a challenge. Sonia Gandhi, the former head of the Congress, JP Nadda, Ashok Chavan, and L Murugan, the Union minister, are among those on the list. Elections in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Himachal Pradesh are scheduled for 15 seats.

For the ten Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, the opposition Samajwadi Party has fielded three candidates, while the BJP has eight, ensuring a fierce competition for a single seat. The number of first preference votes the candidate receives will be the main focus; 37 is the magic number.

BJP's Strategic Move

According to reports, the BJP is counting on extra votes from Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal, which has officially joined the NDA. At least ten MLAs from Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, according to BJP leaders, are in communication with them. In a coalition with the Congress, the SP has vehemently disputed it.

Amarpal Maurya, senior state leader, former minister Sangeeta Balwant (Bind), party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi, former MLA Sadhna Singh, former Agra mayor Naveen Jain, and former Union minister RPN Singh have all been nominated by the BJP. Sanjay Seth, an industrialist and former Samajwadi Party member, is the party's ninth candidate.

Star Power in SP's Lineup

Actor-MP Jaya Bachchan, former IAS official Alok Ranjan, and Dalit activist Ramji Lal Suman have all declared for the SP. To avoid unwarranted influences, the ruling Congress in Karnataka sent its MLAs to a private hotel on Monday. This move has resulted in several reruns in the state's turbulent political history. DK Shivakumar, the head of the state party and deputy chief minister, has ruled out the notion of party MLAs voting for each other twice.

Himachal Pradesh's Lone Seat Battle

The BJP has compelled a contest for the state's lone seat in Himachal Pradesh by putting Harsh Mahajan against Abhishek Manu Singhvi of the Congress. With the BJP having 25 MLAs and the Congress having 40, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu will view the election as a contest for prestige.

MPs for the Rajya Sabha are chosen by MLAs using the single transferable vote (STV) method of proportional representation. The nominees must be listed by the MLAs in order of preference. Votes are transferred to their second choice if a candidate receives less than the necessary number of first preference votes, in which case their first choice is given the highest weight.

BJP's Projected Victory

After the election, the BJP, which is currently holding 28, is predicted to hold at least 29 of the 56 seats. The SP is anticipated to increase its number of seats from one to two in Uttar Pradesh, giving the INDIA bloc one more seat.

There are 245 members in the Rajya Sabha at the moment. Members of the Upper House serve six-year terms, with elections taking place every two years for 33% of the total number of seats.