Rajya Sabha Elections 2020 Live Updates: NDA sweeps polls winning 10 out of 19 seats

Elections for 19 Rajya Sabha seats spread across eight states have started on Friday with the contest in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan promising to be a close affair between the BJP and the Congress. Voting for 18 seats was deferred due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Later the Election Commission announced polls for fours seats in Karnataka and one seat each in Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh. 

Of the 19 seats where polling will be held, four each are from Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, three each from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, two from Jharkhand, and one each from Manipur, Mizoram and Meghalaya.

The counting of votes for all the 19 seats will be held on the evening of June 19 itself, the Election Commission said. Legislators vote to elect candidates for the Upper House of Parliament.

The Election Commission (EC) has made elaborate arrangements for the voting keeping in mind the coronavirus pandemic. Every voter (MLA) will be screened for body temperature and will have use mask and adhere to social distancing norms. Legislators having a fever or showing other symptoms will be kept in a separate waiting room.

With many MLAs switching sides, the past few months have seen parties indulging in 'resort politics' to keep their flock together. Several MLAs have been lodged in resorts to stop them from "poaching" by rival factions. 

• Andhra Pradesh – 04
• Gujarat – 04
• Jharkhand – 02
• Rajasthan – 03
• Madhya Pradesh – 03
• Manipur – 01
• Meghalaya - 01
• Mizoram -01

Both the BJP and the Congress have fielded two candidates each for the three seats in Madhya Pradesh. While the BJP's candidates are former Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sumer Singh Solanki, the Congress has named Digvijaya Singh and Dalit leader Phool Singh Baraiya.

Voting is underway for two Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand, where three candidates are in the fray, including ruling JMM founder and former Chief Minister Shibu Soren

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Friday cast his vote for the Rajya Sabha Election, at state Assembly in Amaravati. Voting is underway for four Rajya Sabha seats of the state

In Andhra Pradesh, the ruling YSR Congress is poised to win all the four seats given its formidable strength in the state assembly. This is the first time that an election is being conducted for Rajya Sabha seats from the state, post-bifurcation in 2014. With a strength of 151 in the 175-member assembly and the support of four "rebel" legislators of TDP and Jana Sena, the YSRC is comfortably placed to win all four. Minimum 36 votes are required for a candidate to win from Andhra Pradesh.

The TDP, with just 20 out of 23 MLAs remaining on its side, stands no chance whatsoever to win the lone seat it is contesting. From the YSRC, Deputy Chief Minister Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose, minister Mopidevi Venkata Ramana Rao, realtor A Ayodhya Rami Reddy and Reliance Industries Senior Group president Parimal Nathwaniare in the fray. The TDP has fielded its politburo member Varla Ramaiah.

(With PTI inputs) (Photo credits: ANI)

Meghalaya Chief Minister and National Peoples Party (NPP) president Conrad K Sangma on Thursday said the political situation in Manipur will not have any impact in Meghalaya.

Four NPP MLAs, who were all ministers in the BJP-led coalition government led by N Biren Singh in Manipur, resigned from the cabinet on Wednesday and have pledged support to the Congress.

"The situation that is unfolding in Manipur has to do a lot with the leadership, it is more of an individual-centric issue and it will not have any impact in Meghalaya," Sangma told reporters.

The NPP president said he has also discussed and apprised the coalition partners of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) on the situation during a meeting held on Wednesday.

"I have assured everybody that the Manipur situation will not have any impact in Meghalaya," he added.

(PTI)

MLAs of Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) are united & we are very sure to win lone Rajya Sabha seat: Meghalaya CM & National People's Party (NPP) Chief Conrad K Sangma after casting his vote at state Assembly. MDA has fielded NPP leader WR Kharlukhi as its candidate.

Two votes of BTP are yet to be cast. Both the Congress leaders and BJP leaders are at Chhotu Vasava and Mahesh Vasava's residence. With only 20 minutes to go before the voting concludes, it is unlikely that the BTP MLAs shall come to vote. Thus, Congress's second choice candidate Bharatsinh Solanki stands to lose in such a scenario. The lone NCP MLA has reportedly voted for BJP despite being issued a whip by party supremo Sharad Pawar. 

The voting for the election to 4 Rajya Sabha seats in Gujarat ended at 4 pm. While the Congress was poised to win 2 seats just like BJP, the NCP MLA voting for the latter and 2 BTP MLAs staying away from voting has turned the tables. Each candidate needed 35 first preference votes to win. Reportedly, Congress failed to get 5 more votes required for the victory of its second candidate. On the other hand, BJP has secured 105 votes as per sources. This implies that BJP has effectively wrested an additional RS seat from the Congress. 

In Gujarat, the Congress party has approached the EC for two votes of Bhupendra Singh Chudasama and Kesrisinh Solanki  to be cancelled. It alleged that the SC had only stayed the Gujarat HC verdict disqualifying Chudasama. Moreover, Congress claimed that Kesrisinh Solanki 's vote deserved to be cancelled as he applied for proxy voting after the official deadline.

The Congress party in Manipur petitioned the EC asking for the votes of party MLA Ngamthang Haokip and Speaker Y Khemchand Singh to be cancelled. It alleged that Haokip and Singh had shown their vote to the BJP official representative and the Congress representative respectively. According to the party, this was a violation of the Conduct of Election Rules 1961 and the relevant laws pertaining to the casting of votes. 

WR Kharlukhi, the president of the National People's Party's Meghalaya unit has won the Rajya Sabha election. These polls were fought in an alliance with BJP. 

In Rajasthan, BJP MLA Ramlal Sharma wrote to the Returning Officer demanding the registration of a criminal case against Congress MLA Wajib Ali for violating COVID-19 quarantine norms and casting his vote in the Rajya Sabha elections. Ali had returned from Australia on a repatriation flight on June 18. The MLA had come for voting in a PPE suit. Speaking to the media later, Ali clarified that his COVID-19 test report had come negative. 

The YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP has won all the 4 Rajya Sabha seats from Andhra Pradesh.

Rajasthan:

Congress- 2 seats

BJP- 1 seat

Madhya Pradesh:

BJP- 2 seats

Congress- 1 seat

JMM supremo Shibu Soren and BJP's Deepak Prakash won 1 Rajya Sabha seat each from Jharkhand.

Mizo National Front's candidate K Vanlalvena won the Rajya Sabha seat from Mizoram defeating the Congress nominee who could secure only 5 votes. 

In Manipur, the Returning Officer rejected Congress' complaint of Speaker Y Khemchand Singh and party MLA Ngamthang Haokip allegedly violating the secrecy of voting. Reconfirming the allegation by checking the video recording of the voting, the RO arrived at the conclusion that the Congress party's complaint was baseless.

In a tough battle with the Congress party in Manipur, BJP emerged victorious in the end winning the lone RS seat from Manipur. BJP's L Sanajaoba secured 28 votes as against 24 votes of the Congress party. As per sources, two Congress MLAs cross-voted. Moreover, 3 of the 7 Congress MLAs who were restrained by the Manipur HC from entering the Assembly were allowed to vote in the election. 

BJP's Narhari Amin, Abhay Bhardwaj, and Ramila Bara won the Rajya Sabha elections from Gujarat. On the other hand, only Shaktisinh Gohil from Congress emerged victorious in the polls. Congress' 2nd candidate Bharatsinh Solanki failed to garner the support of the requisite number of votes.