Tag: RS Polls

  • Maha RS poll results not shocking; NCP got extra vote from ‘opposite side’ independent MLA: Pawar 

    BJP candidates – Union minister Piyush Goyal and former state minister Anil Bonde, and Dhananjay Mahadik – won the fiercely contested election conducted on Friday.

  • Maharashtra RS polls: BJP wins 3 of 6 seats in major setback to ruling Sena-NCP-Cong alliance

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: In a major setback to Maharashtra’s ruling alliance of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, the BJP on Saturday won three of the six Rajya Sabha seats in the state, even as the ruling combine questioned the eight-hour delay in counting of votes.

    The winners include BJP candidates Union minister Piyush Goyal and former state minister Anil Bonde and Dhananjay Mahadik. Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut, NCP’s Praful Patel and Congress’ Imran Pratapgarhi also won the fiercely-fought elections.

    The contest was for the sixth seat the BJP had fielded former MP Dhananjay Mahadik and the Shiv Sena candidate was Sanjay Pawar, who lost. Mahadik and Pawar hail from Kolhapur in western Maharashtra.

    The high-stake battle for the sixth turned out to be a nail-biting affair with the Congress and BJP trading charges, even approaching the Election Commission.

    “Elections are contested not just for the fight, but the victory.bJai Maharashtra,” tweeted BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis, whose refusal to have a consensus candidates for the Rajya Sabha led to elections in the state after 23 years.

    The counting of votes started after an eight-hour delay amid complaints of cross voting and rules violation by the BJP and the ruling alliance.bBoth BJP and the Shiv Sena approached the Election Commission, alleging cross voting and seeking disqualification of votes.bThe poll panel directed the Rajya Sabha election returning officer of Maharashtra to reject the vote cast by Shiv Sena legislator Suhas Kande, after which the counting of votes got underway.

  • Maharashtra RS polls: BJP bags 3 of 6 seats in major setback to ruling Sena-NCP-Cong alliance

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: In a major setback to Maharashtra’s ruling alliance of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, the BJP on Saturday won three of the six Rajya Sabha seats in the state, even as the ruling combine questioned the eight-hour delay in counting of votes.

    The winners include BJP candidates Union minister Piyush Goyal and former state minister Anil Bonde and Dhananjay Mahadik. Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut, NCP’s Praful Patel and Congress’ Imran Pratapgarhi also won the fiercely-fought elections.

    The contest was for the sixth seat the BJP had fielded former MP Dhananjay Mahadik and the Shiv Sena candidate was Sanjay Pawar, who lost. Mahadik and Pawar hail from Kolhapur in western Maharashtra.

    The high-stake battle for the sixth turned out to be a nail-biting affair with the Congress and BJP trading charges, even approaching the Election Commission.

    “Elections are contested not just for the fight, but the victory.bJai Maharashtra,” tweeted BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis, whose refusal to have a consensus candidates for the Rajya Sabha led to elections in the state after 23 years.

    The counting of votes started after an eight-hour delay amid complaints of cross voting and rules violation by the BJP and the ruling alliance.bBoth BJP and the Shiv Sena approached the Election Commission, alleging cross voting and seeking disqualification of votes.bThe poll panel directed the Rajya Sabha election returning officer of Maharashtra to reject the vote cast by Shiv Sena legislator Suhas Kande, after which the counting of votes got underway.

  • Haryana RS polls: BJP’s Krishan Panwar, Independent candidate win, Congress’ Ajay Maken loses

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH The BJP’s Krishan Lal Panwar and Independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma, backed by the saffron party and its ally JJP, have won the two Rajya Sabha seats from Haryana, officials said early Saturday, after the counting of votes which was delayed by hours over allegation of violation of rules. Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken did not get enough votes.

    According to a senior Election Commission official here, Panwar got 36 votes, while Sharma got 23 first preference votes and six transferred from the BJP, taking his tally to 29. Congress MLA and the party’s authorised polling agent BB Batra said while the party’s Kuldeep Bishnoi cross-voted, the vote of another party MLA was declared invalid.

    The counting of votes began past midnight Friday after the Election Commission gave the go-ahead. The counting was held up after the BJP and an Independent candidate backed by it had alleged violation of rules and demanded the votes of two Congress MLAs be declared invalid. Election Commission sources in Delhi said the demand was rejected.

    Panwar and Sharma had written to the EC, alleging Congress MLAs Kiran Choudhary and B B Batra showed their ballot papers to unauthorised persons after marking them and that the episodes were recorded by cameras.

    The Congress had also approached the Election Commission accusing the BJP of trying to defeat the process of free and fair election and demanded immediate declaration of results.

    89 of a total of 90 MLAs in Haryana had cast their votes while Independent MLA Balraj Kundu had abstained from voting.

  • Sitharaman, Surjewala among 8 elected to RS, row over rules breach delays counting in Maha, Haryana

    By PTI

    BENGALURU/JAIPUR: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala and senior leader Jairam Ramesh were among the eight candidates elected to the Rajya Sabha on Friday from Karnataka and Rajasthan, while counting got delayed in Maharashtra and Haryana amid wrangling by rival parties over alleged breach of voting rules.

    Representations made by the BJP and the Congress and its allies, accusing each other of flouting the open balloting rules and seeking invalidation of the votes of some MLAs, are being examined by the Election Commission.

    The counting will be taken up only after the poll panel gives the go ahead. In an emphatic endorsement for the BJP in Karnataka, the ruling party had the last laugh as it won all the three Rajya Sabha seats it contested out of the four that went to polls.

    The main opposition Congress managed to win only one of the two seats for which its nominees were in the fray, while the JD(S) drew a blank.

    Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, actor-politician Jaggesh, and MLC Lehar Singh Siroya of the BJP, and former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh of the Congress were declared victorious. Sitharaman and Ramesh have been re-elected to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka.

    There was suspense over the outcome of the fight for the fourth seat, which witnessed a tight contest between all the three major political parties none of which had enough votes for an easy win.

    However, BJP’s Siroya triumphed over Mansoor Ali Khan of the Congress and D Kupendra Reddy (JDS), apparently aided by cross-voting from rival parties and the help of Independents. In Rajasthan, the ruling Congress won three of the four seats and the BJP one.

    BJP-backed Independent nominee and media baron Subhash Chandra, whose entry into the fray had added spice to the electoral tussle, fell by the wayside. Chandra, who had won the last RS election as an Independent from Haryana, tried his luck from Rajasthan.

    Congress candidates Randeep Surjewala, Mukul Wasnik and Pramod Tiwari were declared elected, and so was BJP’s Ghanshyam Tiwari.

    In an interesting development, BJP MLA Shobharani Kushwah cross-voted in favour of Congress candidate Pramod Tiwari. The BJP promptly suspended her from the party’s primary membership.

    “When everybody knows that 126 MLAs are with us, why did they (BJP) field an independent candidate? They wanted to attempt horse-trading but that did not happen,” a jubilant Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot told reporters at the Assembly complex in Jaipur.

    The victory of the Congress candidates has sent out a strong message in the country, he said, asserting the party will retain power in the Assembly elections next year. The Congress, with 108 MLAs in the 200-member Assembly, needed 123 votes to win the three seats. The Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) with two MLAs had extended support to it.

    The ruling party also had the claimed support of 13 Independents and one Rashtriya Lok Dal MLA, who is a state minister. On the other hand, the BJP had 71 MLAs. After the victory of its party candidate, who secured 43 votes, the BJP had 28 surplus votes to help Chandra’s bid.

    Three MLAs of the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) too had extended support to Chandra, but he still couldn’t manage the additional votes required for a victory.

    However, the counting was held up in Maharashtra after opposition BJP alleged three MLAs of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)–Cabinet ministers Jitendra Awhad (NCP) and Yashomati Thakur (Congress), besides Shiv Sena legislator Suhas Kande violated the model code for voting.

    The Congress retaliated, demanding that the Election Commission invalidate the votes of BJP MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar and Independent MLA Ravi Rana.

    Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole, in a letter to the CEC claimed Mungantiwar “vitiated the voting procedure” by showing his ballot paper to people other than his own party’s election agents.

    Rana openly displayed the Hanuman Chalisa, a religious book, and sought to influence other voters, he alleged.

    The counting was also put on hold in Haryana for identical reasons after BJP nominee Krishan Lal Panwar and Independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma shot off a missive to the EC, alleging Congress MLAs Kiran Choudhary and B B Batra showed their ballot papers to unauthorised persons after marking them and that the episodes were “duly captured” on cameras.

    Prominent among the candidates who are expected to score a facile victory in Maharashtra include Union minister Piyush Goyal and Shiv Sena’s ubiquitous face and spokesperson Sanjay Raut. Both are sitting Rajya Sabha members from the state.

  • Rajinder Nagar bypoll: Poll code-related violations reported; action taken, says CEO

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Several poll code-related violations have been reported ahead of the Rajinder Nagar bypoll here, after the announcement of its date by the Election Commission, and action has been taken by authorities, a top official said on Friday.

    Delhi Chief Electoral Officer Ranbir Singh at a press conference here said these model code of conduct violations relate to defacement of public property and conducting rallies without permission, among others.

    The Delhi CEO told reporters that 14 candidates are in the fray for the upcoming bypoll — three of recognised parties — AAP, BJP and Congress, three of unrecognised parties and eight as independent candidates.

    Asked if any violation of model code of conduct has been reported since the date for the contest was announced by the EC, he said, “Yes, MCC violations have been reported and action also has been taken by authorities”.

    “Under the defacement of property act, such violations have been reported, and eight FIRs also filed — six against the AAP and two against the BJP. Similarly, poll code violations have also been reported for conducting rallies without permission, and police has made two DD (daily diary) entries, one each against AAP and BJP,” Singh said.

    Overall, civic authorities have removed 15,015 posters put up in violation of the model code of conduct, he said. “After the enforcement of the model code of conduct, 299.16 litres of liquor (with market value of more than Rs 94,906) has been seized, while 2,716 persons have been booked under CrPC and DP acts.

    “Under the defacement of property act, 15,015 banners, posters and hoardings have been removed in the Rajinder Nagar constituency and other nearby areas. General observer, expenditure observer and assistant expenditure observer have also been deployed for the by-election,” a statement issued by the Delhi CEO office quoting Singh said.

    The CEO also said all necessary directions have been given to the District Election Officer (DEO), New Delhi, and other authorities for a smooth conduct of the by-election.

    Further, the electoral roll published on June 7, 2022 (with respect to qualifying age as on January 1, 2022) will be used for Assembly Constitution-39 by-election. Also, a single-window system at the Office of the DEO, New Delhi, is in place for issuing permissions regarding meetings, rallies, vehicles, etc.to political parties and candidates.

    Postal ballot facility has been extended to absentee voters, senior citizens (aged above 80) and persons with disability, it said.

    Further, all political parties have been advised to use eco-friendly election campaign material and avoid using single-use plastic, the statement said. A district control room has been set up in the office of the DEO/district magistrate, New Delhi, it said.

    The Delhi CEO told reporters that a total of 1,64,698 electors are eligible to cast vote in the June 23 by-election, while counting of votes will be done on June 26.

    Of the total number of eligible voters for the bypoll, 92,221 are male, 72,473 female and four belong to the third gender, he said. Also, 1,899 voters in this assembly seat are in the 18-19 age group, he added.

    From deployment of security personnel to monitoring poll code violations and from building voter awareness to ensuring necessary facilities, the Delhi CEO office said all preparations are being made to ensure that the upcoming Rajinder Nagar bypoll is inclusive, accessible and fair.

  • RS polls: Nirmala Sitharaman, Jaggesh file nominations 

    By PTI

    BENGALURU: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and actor-politician Jaggesh of the BJP, were among the prominent faces to file their nominations for the June 10 Rajya Sabha polls from Karnataka on Tuesday, as the contest heats up for the fourth seat.

    While Sitharaman is seeking re-election from Karnataka, for Jaggesh, a former MLA and MLC, this is his first election to the Upper House of the Parliament.

    Among the others who filed papers today, the last day to do so, are BJP’s third candidate and outgoing MLC Lehar Singh Siroya, and former MP D Kupendra Reddy from the JD(S).

    Congress candidates — former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh and state general secretary Mansoor Ali Khan — filed their nominations on Monday itself.

    The announcement of Khan’s name as party’s second candidate was a surprise move by the Congress, as it has an adequate number of votes to win just one seat.

    Following this move, the ruling BJP too on Monday night announced the candidature of Siroya, despite having numbers to comfortably win just two seats.

    The election to four Rajya Sabha seats is necessitated as the term of office of members Nirmala Sitharaman and K C Ramamurthy of BJP, and Jairam Ramesh — is due to expire on June 30.

    The fourth member Oscar Fernandes of the Congress passed away last year.

    A candidate needs 45 votes to win, and based on their strength in the Legislative Assembly, the BJP can win two seats and the Congress one.

    However, despite not having an adequate number of votes to win the fourth seat from the State Assembly, all the three political parties in the state — BJP, Congress and JD(S)– have fielded candidates for the seat, forcing an election.

    After electing two Rajya Sabha candidates (Sitharaman and Jaggesh) on their own strength in the Assembly, the BJP will be left with an additional 29 votes.

    The Congress will be left with 24 extra votes after electing Jairam Ramesh, while the JD(S) has only 32 votes, which is not sufficient to win a seat.

    So, Sitharaman, Jaggesh, and Jairam Ramesh are likely to get elected unopposed, while the contest is likely to take place between Siroya, Khan and Reddy for the fourth seat if their nominations are accepted and there are no withdrawals.

    Meanwhile, JD(S) on Tuesday claimed that its patriarch H D Deve Gowda had spoken to Congress National President Sonia Gandhi, and she and other party leaders had consented to support its candidate.

    Expressing surprise over Congress fielding a second candidate “all of a sudden”, senior JD(S) leader and former Minister H D Revanna requested the national party for support to keep the “communal forces” out of the race.

    “There are a couple of days’ time (for withdrawal of candidature), let’s wait and see.

    ” The scrutiny of nominations will take place tomorrow, and June three is the last date for withdrawal of candidature.

    Sitharaman was accompanied by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, former CM B S Yediyurappa, and state BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel, among other party leaders, for filing of nominations.

    Expressing gratitude and thanks to Bommai, Yediyurappa, Kateel and Law Minister J C Madhuswamy for proposing and supporting her nomination, Sitharaman in a tweet said, “Dedicate myself to serving Karnataka to the best of my abilities.

    “Noting that the expectation of state unit and workers was that Sitharaman should contest from Karnataka, Yediyurappa said, “we will hundred per cent win two seats and will make all efforts to win the third one, which Lehar Singh Siroya is contesting; we are confident of winning it too.”

    Jaggesh and Siroya too were accompanied by several party leaders while filing their nominations.

  • Arrival of media barons to the fray might queer the pitch for Congress in two RS seats

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Nominations filed by two media barons — Subhash Chandra of Zee from Rajasthan and Kartikeya Sharma of NewsX from Haryana  — for the Rajya Sabha elections as independent candidates could spell trouble for the Congress in seats in Rajasthan and Haryana.  

    The independents filed their candidature on Tuesday, the last day for filing nominations.

    Sources said that things could tilt in favour of the duo keeping in mind the disquiet in the Rajasthan state unit over the nomination of candidates from outside, and in Haryana, where an upset party MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi has been meeting BJP leaders.

    The Congress was expecting to win 10 seats in all but now it could end up losing a seat in Haryana if cross-voting happens and another in Rajasthan if the independents decide to vote for Subhash Chandra with the support of BJP MLAs.

    The seat in Rajasthan is where Congress has fielded Pramod Tiwari and it will now see a contest with Chandra’s entry. Tiwari’s candidature was backed by general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

    In all, the elections are on for four seats in Rajasthan. The state assembly has 200 seats and a winning candidate will require 41 votes.

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    The Congress claims that it will manage 123 votes (needed to win three seats) while the BJP, having 71 MLAs, can win only one seat. The BJP needs 11 more votes to win a second seat which it is now angling for with Chandra’s arrival to the fray.

    The Congress has the support of 108 MLAs, including six BSP MLAs who merged with the Congress, 13 independents (many Gehlot supporters), two MLAs of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and one from the Rashtriya Lok Dal.

    There are two MLAs from the Bhartiya Tribal Party (BTP) and three MLAs from Hanuman Beniwal’s Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP). Both are unlikely to vote for the BJP.

    “With independents in the fray, things can sway to any side. It is a calculated move by the BJP keeping in mind trouble in the state unit. After winning one seat (41 MLAs), another 30 BJP MLAs will be spared and Chandra would need 11 more to win the seat. He may get the support of independents and BTP and RLP’s support to make things difficult for the Congress’ plans to win a third seat,” said party sources.