Rajya Sabha Election: NDA assured of all seats in Bihar; Cross Voting hurts opposition in Odisha

New Delhi: Voting took place today for 11 Rajya Sabha seats across three states of the country. The results are expected to be declared shortly. In fact, elections were originally scheduled for 37 Rajya Sabha seats this time, 26 of which have already seen candidates elected unopposed. The three states where voting for the Rajya Sabha took place today include Bihar (5 seats), Haryana (2 seats), and Odisha (4 seats). In Bihar, six candidates are in the fray for the five seats; meanwhile, there are three candidates for the two seats in Haryana and five candidates for the four seats in Odisha.

How did battle for the fifth seat turn out?

From the NDA camp, five candidates—including Nitish Kumar and Nitin Nabin—are in the electoral arena. The victory of Nitish Kumar, Ramnath Thakur, Nitin Nabin, and Upendra Kushwaha is considered all but certain. However, the real battle lies in the contest for the fifth seat, where the NDA's Shivesh Kumar Ram and the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance)'s Amarendradhari Singh (alias AD Singh) are locked in a direct face-off.

What happened in fight for the fourth seat in Odisha?

Amid fears of cross-voting, three Congress MLAs and one RJD MLA in Bihar failed to turn up to cast their votes. In Haryana, the entry of independent candidate Satish Nandal appears to have altered all the political equations. If nine MLAs engage in cross-voting, the Congress party's electoral arithmetic could go awry; consequently, the Congress had whisked its MLAs away to Himachal Pradesh prior to the voting. In Odisha, the victory of two BJP candidates and one BJD candidate is considered assured. The contest centers on the fourth seat. If eight Congress MLAs in Odisha also resort to cross-voting, the outcome there, too, could take an unexpected turn.

What is tenure of the Rajya Sabha?

It is worth noting that while the tenure of the Lok Sabha is five years—and the House is subject to dissolution—the Rajya Sabha is a permanent House; that is, it never ceases to function. Each member of the Rajya Sabha serves a six-year term; however, the terms of all members do not commence or conclude simultaneously. Instead, one-third of the members retire every two years. Upon the completion of their terms, elections are held to fill the vacant seats. This system ensures that the House always retains experienced members and that its proceedings continue to run smoothly.

Voting took place today for 11 Rajya Sabha seats across three states of the country. The results are expected to be declared shortly. In fact, elections were originally scheduled for 37 Rajya Sabha seats this time around, 26 of which have already been filled by candidates elected unopposed. The three states where voting for the Rajya Sabha took place today include Bihar (5 seats), Haryana (2 seats), and Odisha (4 seats). In Bihar, six candidates are in the fray for the five seats; meanwhile, there are three candidates competing for the two seats in Haryana, and five candidates for the four seats in Odisha.