In a setback for the BSP, the BJP managed to win nine seats out of 10 in the Rajya Sabha elections. SP candidate Jaya Bachchan emerged victorious on the tenth seat.
- There were 11 candidates in the fray for the 10 seats in the state
- BJP managed to bag the 10th seat which saw a tough fight between BSP candidate Bhimrao Ambedkar and the BJP's Anil Agarwal
- The counting of votes was delayed after the SP and the BSP demanded that disqualification of the votes of SP MLA Nitin Agarwal and BSP MLA Anil Singh
BJP Doesn't Use Cheap Tricks: UP Dty CM
Responding to the BSP's claims of sabotage, the Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Keshav Prasad Maurya said that the party doesn't stoop to ‘cheap' tricks in order to win elections.
The BJP doesn't use such cheap tricks to win elections. The BSP should see and introspect that the party that supported them, actually betrayed them at the end.
'Delighted With the Results': BJP's Anil Agarwal
The BJP's winning candidate Anil Agarwal expressed his gratitude and delight at having cliched a Rajya Sabha seat from the state.
Speaking to ANI, he said:
I want to thank PM Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and CM Yogi Adityanath. I feel elated that I could do what they expected from me. We all are really delighted with the results.
BSP Calls 'Sabotage' in RS Polls
Senior BSP leader Satish Mishra alleged that the BJP had won the elections by using all its “money power and state powers”.
Speaking to ANI, Mishra said:
BJP used all its money power and their state powers in the voting. They did not let two of our people vote. They were not allowed to come out of the jail, even when they had the orders from the court and the Election Commission.Satish Mishra, BSP leader
PM Modi Congratulates All Winning Candidates
PM Modi congratulated all the winning candidates on Twitter.
Congratulations to all those elected to the Rajya Sabha from various states and best wishes for their Parliamentary career. I hope they effectively voice the aspirations of the states they will represent.
March 23, 2018UP CM Yogi Adityanath Addresses Media
Addressing a press conference following the party's victory, state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the victory had exposed the "opportunistic face" of the SP.
“The people of the state have seen the opportunistic face of the SP. It can take votes but not give votes in return,” he said, referring to the SP's victory with the help of BSP votes in the recent Lok Sabha bypolls in Gorakhpur and Phulpur.
The chief minister said the SP's "opportunistic character" was not new and that "the people of the state have seen it over the years".
Adityanath said it was time to be careful to avoid falling into a deep pit in the future.
BJP Bags 9 Seats, SP's Jaya Bachchan Wins
The BJP in Uttar Pradesh won nine out of 10 seats while SP candidate Jaya Bachchan was also declared a winner.
BJP candidates who won are Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Ashok Bajpai, Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, Sakal Deep Rajbhar, Kanta Kardam, Anil Jain, Harnath Singh Yadav and G V L Narasimha Rao and Anil Kumar Agarwal.
1 Vote Each of BSP and BJP Disqualified
The Election Commission has reportedly disqualified one vote each of the BJP and the BSP, while counting the votes.
Counting of Votes Begins
The counting of votes for Rajya Sabha elections begins after clearance from the Election Commission, reported ANI.
Delay Over Votes of Nitin Agarwal, Anil Singh
The SP and BSP has demanded that the EC disqualify the votes of SP MLA Nitin Agarwal and BSP MLA Anil Singh for allegedly hiding their votes. The EC will reportedly begin counting after scrutinising the CCTV camera footage.
While Singh claims to have shown his vote to polling agent Lalaji Verma, Agarwal claims to have shown his vote to Lalai Singh.
EC Denies Permission To Begin Counting in UP
The Election Commission has denied permission to begin the counting of votes for Rajya Sabha election due to some objections in ballot papers. Reports suggest counting will begin only after EC gives clearance.
Independent MLA Raja Bhaiyya Voices Support for Akhilesh Yadav
Raghuraj Pratap Singh AKA Raja Bhaiyya, an independent MLA who was a part of Akhilesh Yadav's cabinet tweets support for Yadav, says, "I am with Akhileshji".
The former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh tweeted a photo with Raghuraj Pratap Singh, thanking him for the support.
Tally of Votes Cast till Noon
As of noon, Times of India reported that a total of 187 votes had been cast by the BJP, 37 by the Samajwadi Party, 17 by the Bahujan Samaj Party, 7 by the Indian National Congress, 5 by the Apna Dal, 4 by the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, and 1 by the Rashtriya Lok Dal.
Two Jailed MLAs To Refrain From Voting
BSP candidate Bhim Rao Ambedkar stands to lose two votes, as his supporters, a Samajwadi Party MLA and a Bahujan Samaj Party MLA are in lodged in jail, NDTV reported.
Two other independent candidates will likely vote for the BSP, the report added.
BJP Confident of Clinching Nine Seats
To secure a seat to the Upper House of Parliament from UP, a candidate needs 37 first preference votes.
Since the BJP and its allies have 324 seats in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly right now, the saffron party can easily bag eight of the 10 seats and will still be left with 28 surplus votes as the the four-MLA strong Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) has decided to go with the ruling party.
People Will Vote BJP, Not SP: Naresh Agrawal's Son Nitin
Samajwadi Party leader Nitin Agrawal, son of SP-leader-turned-BJP-supporter Naresh Agrawal, hit out at the SP in a statement to ANI. He declared support for the BJP, adding that the people would vote for a candidate who serves them, rather than one who entertains them.
All 9 candidates of the BJP will win. The Samajwadi Party insulted their worker, and the people will answer them for choosing a candidate that entertains society rather than one who serves society.Nitin Agrawal, SP LeaderRajya Sabha Elections: Votes to Be Counted from 5 pm in Uttar Pradesh
As the day draws on, more surprises are likely in the Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha elections. Voting began at 9 am at Tilak hall in the UP Vidhan Sabha . Voting will close at 4 pm, and the votes will be counted from 5 pm.
I Voted for BJP: BSP MLA Anil Singh
BSP MLA Anil Singh told ANI that he cast his vote for the BJP in the 2018 Rajya Sabha Elections for the 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh.
I don't know about the others, but I cast my vote for the BJP.Anil Singh, MLA, BSPBJP Will Win All Nine Seats It Contests: UP Dy CM Maurya
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya told ANI that the BJP would easily win all nine seats it fielded candidates for. Maurya added that the Rajya Sabha would witness the entry of nine more BJP candidates following these elections.
BJP MLAs Will Cross-Vote in Samajwadi Party's Favour: Ram Gopal Yadav
Reiterating their confident front, the Samajwadi Party said that the fear of cross-voting doesn't arise in their case, however, SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav added that the BJP's MLAs would cross-vote in the SP & BSP's favour.
All Seven Congress MLAs Cast Vote for BSP Candidate Bhim Rao Ambedkar
NDTV reported that all seven of the Congress' MLAs have cast their votes for BSP candidate Bhim Rao Ambedkar. The vote-share was agreed upon before the elections, along with the alliance between the BSP and SP.
UP CM Yogi Adityanath Meets Party MLAs
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met his party MLAs, along with Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma, shortly after voting began for the 10 UP Rajya Sabha seats.
Nishad Party Leader Vijay Mishra & BSP MLA Anil Singh Met BJP: SBSP Leader
Om Prakash Bahadur, President of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) told ANI that Nishad Party MLA Vijay Mishra and BSP MLA Anil Singh were present at the meeting of the UP BJP & its allies on 22 March, indicating their support to the BJP.
Nishad Party MLA Vijay Mishra and BSP MLA Anil Singh were present at yesterday's meeting of the BJP & its allies, which confirms their support.Om Prakash Rajbhar, President, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj PartyVoting Begins for 26 Rajya Sabha Seats
ANI reported that voting has begun for 26 Rajya Sabha seats in 6 states: Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana.
SP Confident of SP, BSP Win in Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha Elections
Samajwadi Party leader Rajendra Chaudhary said that they were confident Samajwadi Party candidate Jaya Bachchan and Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Bhim Rao Ambedkar, who the SP is supporting, would win the Rajya Sabha elections.
Given the BJP's condition, I'd say that its own MLAs are annoyed. Some of them may even end up siding with the opposition.Rajendra Chaudhary, Leader, SPSBSP, Apna Dal (S) Candidates to Support BJP
The four-MLA-strong Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), after being placated by BJP chief Amit Shah, and the Apna Dal (Sonelal) with nine MLAs, have decided to vote for BJP nominees.
"We are standing with the BJP. We had held a meeting of our MLAs and it was decided that we will strongly support the BJP," national president of Apna Dal (S) Ashish Patel told PTI on 22 March.
The declaration of support from the Apna Dal (S) comes days after SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar, a Cabinet minister in UP government, declared his party's support for the BJP candidates.
With a day left for voting for the biennial Rajya Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP may heave a sigh of relief after successfully mollifying its allies.
Akhilesh's Dinner Diplomacy to Decide BSP's Fate?
The SP that had found itself in a soup after it was likely to lose one of the 47 votes of former SP leader Naresh Agarwal's son Nitin Agarwal, has likely got itself out of the crisis.
The dinner on 21 March night hosted by Akhilesh Yadav might rekindle hopes for both the SP and the BSP, with independent MLA from Kundla, Raghuraj Pratap Singh's presence. Raja Bhaiyya, as he is more popularly known, is likely to side with the SP.
Singh's vote might be crucial for the BSP, which is dependent on the 10 surplus votes promised by the SP. Nitin Agarwal is the son of former SP leader Naresh Agarwal, who recently joined the BJP.
Akhilesh's uncle Shivpal Yadav, who had skipped the strategy meet chaired by Akhilesh, was also present at the dinner.
Cross-Voting Not Possible: SP
The Samajwadi Party (SP) is confident of the victory of its candidate Jaya Bachchan and BSP candidate Bhimrao Ambedkar. “This is a Rajya Sabha election, you cannot hide and vote. So cross-voting should not be expected. Those who are with us are with us and we are confident of our people. Shivpal Yadav Ji and Raja Bhaiyya, both of them are with us,” SP MLC Sunil Singh Sajan told News18.
(With PTI and ANI inputs)
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