26 Elected To Rajya Sabha Unopposed. Big Fight In Three States

Twenty-six leaders have been elected unopposed in the Rajya Sabha election across seven states. The list includes big names - veteran NCP leader Sharad Pawar, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Thambi Durai, Vinod Tawde, and Babul Supriyo. But three states are in a deadlock -- Bihar, Odisha, and Haryana. 

In Bihar, the victory of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Ramnath Thakur from the JDU, as well as Nitin Nabin and the BJP's Shivam Kumar is virtually assured. But the fifth seat is witnessing a direct contest between NDA's Upendra Kushwaha and Mahagathbandhan's AD Singh, which can be settled only by voting. 

Numbers indicate that the Grand Alliance, which currently has 35 MLAs, requires the support of 41 to secure a victory. 

All five MLAs from the AIMIM have announced their support for Tejashwi Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal. Today, Tejashwi Yadav attended an Iftaar hosted by the AIMIM's Bihar president, Akhtarul Iman, where it was formally decided that the party will extend its support to the RJD candidate. 

The alliance also counts one BSP MLA among its ranks. 
The NDA, meanwhile, has asserted that their candidate, Upendra Kushwaha, will emerge victorious. To win, Kushwaha will need votes from at least three MLAs belonging to the Grand Alliance. 

While it remains difficult to predict who might support him, his camp appears to be eyeing six Congress MLAs and the lone BSP MLA.

In Odisha, it is anticipated that the BJP and the BJD will each secure two seats. State BJP chief Manmohan Samal, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sujit Kumar, and Santrupt Mishra - a corporate-titan-turned-BJD-leader- are set to be elected unopposed. 

But two candidates are currently vying for the fourth seat. Numbers in the Odisha assembly shows that 30 votes are required to secure a single Rajya Sabha seat in the 147-member House. 

The BJP currently has 79 seats and enjoys the support of three independent MLAs, bringing their side's tally to 82. 

Consequently, two of the BJP's candidates are poised to win comfortably, leaving the party with a surplus of 22 votes. But to ensure the victory of a third candidate, the BJP will need to mobilise an additional eight votes.

The BJD, meanwhile, holds 48 seats, which ensures an easy victory for one of its candidates.

If the 14 MLAs from the Congress and the single MLA from the CPM are added, the tally rises to 33 - a figure exceeding the victory threshold by three votes.

BJP-backed Dilip Ray will need support from eight MLAs from the other side to reach the winning figure.

Sources indicate that his sights are set on the 14 Congress MLAs and a few legislators from the BJD.

Haryana is witnessing a similar situation. The state assembly has 90 seats, of which the BJP has 48. In addition to the two MLAs from the INLD, three Independent MLAs have also pledged support to the BJP, bringing their side's strength to 53. With 31 votes required to win a single seat, the BJP will be left with a surplus of 22 votes after securing the victory of its official candidate, Sanjay Bhatia. 

Meanwhile, the Congress holds 37 seats and will easily secure the victory of Karamvir Boddh, leaving it with a surplus of 6 votes. 

Satish Nandal - an Independent candidate backed by the BJP-has disrupted the electoral arithmetic of the Rajya Sabha polls by filing his nomination papers. Nandal requires nine votes to win, a feat that would be impossible without cross-voting from Congress members. 

This is why the Congress has relocated 31 of its MLAs to Himachal Pradesh. 

The six MLAs who did not make the trip include Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Vinesh Phogat (MLA from Julana), Kuldeep Vats (from Badli), Mohammad Ilyas (from Punhana), Paramvir Singh (from Tohana), and Chander Mohan Bishnoi (from Panchkula).

These legislators have already communicated their reasons for not travelling to the Congress's central leadership.

This implies that when voting takes place in Bihar, Odisha, and Haryana on Monday, the results could pack in more than one surprise.