Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh were among the first to vote as elections to 19 Rajya Sabha seats across eight states began on Friday morning.
The voting began at 9 am and will conclude at 4 pm on Friday. Of the 19 seats where polling is being held, four each are from Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, three each from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, two from Jharkhand, and one each from Manipur, Mizoram and Meghalaya.
A close contest between the BJP and the Congress is on the cards in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan
Here are the LIVE Updates on Rajya Sabha elections:
11.29 am: Manipur political situation will not have any impact in Meghalaya: CM Conrad Sangma
Meghalaya Chief Minister and National Peoples Party (NPP) president Conrad K Sangma on Thursday said the political situation in Manipur will not have any impact in Meghalaya. The ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) in Meghalaya has fielded W R Kharlukhi for the lone seat and he will be up against Kennedy Khyriem of the Congress.
10.55 am: Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy casts vote. In Andhra Pradesh, the ruling YSR Congress is poised to win all the four seats given its formidable strength in the state assembly. This is the first time that an election is being conducted for Rajya Sabha seats from the state, post-bifurcation in 2014.
10.32 am: Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot votes, says all health protocols have been followed for the safety of legislators.
Cast my vote for #RajyaSabhaElections... pic.twitter.com/ykDU8oAg8j
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) June 19, 2020
10.21 am: Voting underway for 2 Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand: BJP MLA Biranchi Narayan says, “Independent MLAs Saryu Rai, Amit Yadav have extended their support to BJP and we hope to get the support of two other MLAs. With 32 votes, we hope to sent Deepak Prakash to Rajya Sabha.”
10.07 am: BJP MLA from Matar assembly constituency, Kesarisinh Jesangbhai Solanki, arrived at the legislative assembly in an ambulance. He was admitted to hospital following a health issue.
Gujarat: BJP MLA from Matar assembly constituency, Kesarisinh Jesangbhai Solanki arrives at legislative assembly in an ambulance. He was admitted at hospital following a health issue & reached here directly from the hospital. Polling for 4 Rajya Sabha seats of state is underway. pic.twitter.com/bhq1sNiXCB
— ANI (@ANI) June 19, 2020
10.05 am: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan casts his vote for at the state Assembly in Bhopal.
9.50 am: In Rajasthan, three buses carrying BJP MLAs, has reached the state legislative assembly in Jaipur for Rajya Sabha polls.
Both the ruling Congress and opposition BJP have lodged their legislators in different hotels after accusing each other of poaching MLAs. For the three seats up for grabs, four candidates (two from Congress and as many from BJP) have filed nomination papers. The Congress has nominated K C Venugopal and Neeraj Dangi, while the BJP has fielded Rajendra Gehlot and Onkar Singh Lakhawat.
Rajasthan: Three buses, carrying BJP MLAs, reach state legislative assembly in Jaipur ahead of the polling for #RajyaSabhaElection today. In the state, polling for three seats to be held. pic.twitter.com/1lyvD51Bbt
— ANI (@ANI) June 19, 2020
9.25 am: The counting of votes for all the 19 Rajya Sabha seats will be held on the evening of June 19.
9.20 am: The elections were to take place on March 26 for 55 Upper House seats, but 37 candidates have already been elected without a contest. The EC had deferred the March 26 Rajya Sabha elections citing the threat of the novel coronavirus.
9.12 am: Visuals from Gujarat
Gujarat: Polling for #RajyaSabhaElection to take place today. In the state, polling to be held on four Rajya Sabha seats. Visuals from state legislative assembly in Gandhinagar. pic.twitter.com/st6vkcqNgK
— ANI (@ANI) June 19, 2020
HIGH-STAKES BATTLE IN RAJYA SABHA
Legislators vote to elect candidates for the Upper House of Parliament. The counting of votes for all the 19 seats will be held on the evening of June 19 itself, the Election Commission said.
The Election Commission (EC) has made elaborate arrangements for the voting keeping in mind the coronavirus pandemic. Every voter (MLA) will be screened for body temperature and will have use mask and adhere to social distancing norms. Legislators having a fever or showing other symptoms will be kept in a separate waiting room.
Originally, the elections were to take place on March 26 for 55 Upper House seats, but 37 candidates have already been elected without a contest. The EC had deferred the March 26 Rajya Sabha elections citing the threat of the novel coronavirus.
With many MLAs switching sides, the past few months have seen parties indulging in 'resort politics' to keep their flock together. Several MLAs have been lodged in resorts to stop them from "poaching" by rival factions.
In Gujarat, the contest is likely to go down to the wire as both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress do not have absolute numbers in the assembly to get all their candidates win on their own. The BJP has fielded three candidates -- Abhay Bharadwaj, Ramila Bara and Narhari Amin -- for the four seats, while the Congress, which has seen desertions in its legislative ranks, has given tickets to two nominees Shaktisinh Gohil and Bharatsinh Solanki.
The BJP, with its current numbers in the 182-member assembly, can win two seats, while the Congress on the basis of its House strength can bag one. A tough fight is expected for the fourth seat.
Both the BJP and the Congress have fielded two candidates each for the three seats in Madhya Pradesh. While the BJP's candidates are former Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sumer Singh Solanki, the Congress has named Digvijaya Singh and Dalit leader Phool Singh Baraiya.
In the 230-member assembly, the BJP currently has 107 MLAs and also enjoys the support of two legislators of the Bahujan Samaj Party, one of the Samajwadi Party and two Independents, while the opposition Congress has 92 MLAs. Currently, the effective strength of the House is 206, as 24 seats are lying vacant.
While the BJP is expected to win two seats and the Congress one seat, the fight will be for the fourth slot.
In Rajasthan, both the ruling Congress and opposition BJP have lodged their legislators in different hotels after accusing each other of poaching MLAs.
In Andhra Pradesh, the YSR Congress is poised to win all the four seats given its formidable strength in the state assembly. With a strength of 151 in the 175-member assembly and the support of four "rebel" legislators of TDP and Jana Sena, the YSRC is comfortably placed to win all four. Minimum 36 votes are required for a candidate to win from Andhra Pradesh.
The TDP, with just 20 out of 23 MLAs remaining on its side, stands no chance whatsoever to win the lone seat it is contesting.
JMM president Shibu Soren, Congress candidate Shahzada Anwar and BJP state chief Deepak Prakash are in the fray for the two Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand.
The ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) in Meghalaya has fielded W R Kharlukhi for the lone seat and he will be up against Kennedy Khyriem of the Congress.
The election to Mizoram's lone seat is likely to witness a triangular contest. The ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) has fielded the party's national core committee member K Kanlalvena, while the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) and the Congress nominated B Lalchhanzova and Lallianchhunga respectively.