- 26 candidates from 7 states were elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha seats in the current election
- Bihar's fifth Rajya Sabha seat is contested with RJD seeking AIMIM and BSP support to cross 41 votes
- In Odisha, BJP-backed candidate needs 8 extra votes to win the fourth Rajya Sabha seat
Some were shepherded to hilly resorts, others buried differences and embraced at Iftaar parties, and most made calls to strike unlikely alliances. The election for 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states is being watched keenly as parties choose realpolitik over long-nursed rivalries for a seat in the Upper House of Parliament. Out of 37, 26 candidates from seven states have been elected unopposed, and a battle is on for the remaining 11 from 3 states -- Bihar, Odisha, and Haryana.
The Ones Elected Unopposed
Twenty-six candidates from seven states -- Maharashtra, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Assam and Himachal Pradesh -- were elected unopposed.
Those who have already got their pass to the Rajya Sabha include veteran politician and NCP founder Sharad Pawar, Congress leader and renowned lawyer Abhishek Singhvi, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, and senior DMK leader Tiruchi Siva.
Other notable names are PMK chief Anbumani Ramadoss, BJP's Bengal leader Rahul Sinha, singer-turned-politician Babul Supriyo, actor Koel Mallick, and lawyer Menaka Guruswamy.
The Bihar Battle
MLAs vote in the Rajya Sabha election. In Bihar, five seats have become vacant this time. The total strength of the Assembly is 243, and each candidate must get 41 votes to cross the finish line. Two candidates from the JDU -- party chief Nitish Kumar and Ramnath Thakur -- and two from the BJP -- party president Nitin Nabin and Shivam Kumar -- are sure to win as the NDA has the numbers to see them through.
But a battle is on for the fifth seat. The RJD-led Mahagathbandhan has 35 MLAs, six short of the magic number. Tejashwi Yadav has now reached out to Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM, which has five MLAs. This is significant, considering the RJD leadership had rebuffed the AIMIM's attempts to join the opposition alliance ahead of the state polls in November, drawing a sharp response from Owaisi.
Tejashwi Yadav yesterday attended an Iftaar party hosted by the AIMIM's Bihar chief Akhtarul Iman, and the AIMIM is learnt to have assured that it will back the RJD candidate in today's election. The alliance also hopes the lone BSP MLA will support it too, helping it reach the magic number of 41.
But the NDA is not giving up easily. BJP's ally and Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha is seeking another term in Rajya Sabha and is three short of the magic figure. His camp appears to be eyeing the BSP MLA too, and two more from the Congress. If Kushwaha eventually wins, it would mean cross-voting by at least two Grand Alliance MLAs.
The Odisha Contest
Four Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha have become vacant this time. According to the Rajya Sabha election formula, each candidate needs 30 votes to be elected. The BJP-led ruling alliance has 82 seats and the opposition has 65. This means two BJP MLAs -- State party chief Manmohan Samal and sitting Rajya Sabha MP Sujit Kumar will get easily elected. The BJD's Santrupt Mishra - a business tycoon-turned-politician - is likely to get elected unopposed.
The fourth seat is where the contest is. The BJP will have 22 surplus votes after its two candidates are elected. So, BJP-backed candidate Dilip Ray needs eight additional votes to get to the magic figure.
The BJD has 48 MLAs, meaning one of its candidates will get elected, and it will still have 18 votes. If the 14 Congress MLAs, one Left MLA and two Independents back BJD, it can win the fourth seat.
The BJP-backed candidate, it is learnt, is eyeing support from within Congress and BJD ranks to get to the finish line. And his victory would mean the opposition house is not in order.
The Haryana Dangal
Haryana is witnessing a tricky situation too. Two Rajya Sabha seats from the state's quota are vacant, and the Assembly has 90 seats. The ruling BJP has 48 MLAs. Besides the two MLAs from the Indian National Lok Dal, three Independents support the BJP, taking their strength to 53. As per the voting formula, 31 votes are required for each candidate to make it to the Upper House.
The BJP bloc would have 22 surplus votes after its candidate, Sanjay Bhatia, wins. The Congress, on the other hand, has 37 seats, and its candidate Karamvir Boddh must secure a comfortable victory, with six votes to spare.
There is, however, a twist. Satish Nandal, an Independent candidate backed by the BJP, has joined the contest. With the BJP backing him, Nandal requires nine additional votes to win, and this is not possible without cross-voting from the Congress camp. In a pre-emptive move, the Congress leadership has relocated 31 of its MLAs to Himachal Pradesh. Six legislators, including Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda and wrestler-turned-politician Vinesh Phogat, have refused to go to Himachal and communicated to the Congress leadership why they cannot travel.
