The results for the biennial Rajya Sabha elections across 10 states have been announced, confirming the dominance of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in key battlegrounds. Out of the 37 seats up for election, 26 candidates were elected unopposed in the preceding weeks. Polling was conducted for the remaining 11 seats on Monday in Bihar, Odisha, and Haryana. According to election officials, the NDA managed to secure 9 out of these 11 seats, including a clean sweep in Bihar and a significant gain in Odisha through strategic voting patterns and cross-voting from opposition ranks.
NDA Sweeps All Five Seats in Bihar
In Bihar, the ruling NDA coalition demonstrated complete control by winning all five contested Rajya Sabha seats. The victorious candidates include Bihar's longest-serving Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and BJP National President Nitin Navin. Other prominent winners are Union Minister Ram Nath Thakur and Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha, both of whom have been re-elected to the Upper House. Shivesh Kumar of the BJP will enter the Rajya Sabha for the first time. The opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) faced a setback as its candidate Amarendra Dhari Singh lost the election. Despite RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav's claims of support from AIMIM and BSP legislators, the numbers remained in favor of the NDA candidates.
BJP Gains Ground in Odisha Amid Cross-Voting
The election for four Rajya Sabha seats in Odisha witnessed significant political shifts and instances of cross-voting. The BJP emerged victorious on three seats, while the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) secured one, while reports from the state assembly indicated that at least five opposition MLAs, including three from the Congress and two from the BJD, voted in favor of BJP-backed independent candidate Dilip Ray. The successful candidates include BJP State President Manmohan Samal, sitting member Sujit Kumar, BJD's Santrupt Misra, and Dilip Ray. The fifth candidate, Dr. Datteswar Hota, who was backed by the Congress and Left parties, failed to secure enough votes for a win.
High-Stakes Contest and Counting Delays in Haryana
Haryana's Rajya Sabha polls were marked by intense drama and allegations of procedural irregularities. The counting of votes was delayed by several hours after both the BJP and Congress accused each other of violating the secrecy of the ballot. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge formally complained to the Chief Election Commissioner, alleging attempts to invalidate legitimate votes. When the results were finally declared late at night, BJP's Sanjay Bhatia secured a comfortable victory, while the second seat saw a close contest where Congress candidate Karamveer Singh Bauddh defeated BJP-backed independent Satish Nandal by a narrow margin of 3 votes, providing a crucial win for the opposition in the state.
Unopposed Victories in Maharashtra and Other States
While Bihar, Odisha, and Haryana saw active polling, several other states concluded their election process unopposed. In Maharashtra, all seven candidates were elected without a contest, including six from the Mahayuti alliance and veteran leader Sharad Pawar from the Maha Vikas Aghadi. West Bengal saw four candidates from the Trinamool Congress and BJP's Rahul Sinha being elected unopposed. In Telangana, Congress leaders Abhishek Singhvi and Vem Narender Reddy secured their berths. Similarly, six candidates in Tamil Nadu and one in Himachal Pradesh were declared winners unopposed, reflecting the established seat-sharing arrangements based on legislative strength in those states.