Letter to BS: BJP emerges largest beneficiary in Rajya Sabha elections

The elections also witnessed significant "cross voting" as a result of which the BSP candidate failed to win

Apropos of “Win one, lose one” (March 27), it goes without saying that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has turned out to be the largest beneficiary in the just concluded Rajya Sabha elections with its tally inching up to 68 seats and that of the National Democratic Alliance going up to 87 seats (out of 245 seats in the Upper House). 

However, the Congress party’s RPN Singh must also be patting his own back after he managed to win one (out of two seats) in Jharkhand by a fraction thereby putting the BJP’s top brass in a fix. Incidentally, the elections also witnessed significant “cross voting” as a result of which the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate failed to win despite a pre-poll alliance between it and the Samajwadi Party (SP). It’s a different matter that SP’s Jaya Bachchan eventually won. 

This was not taken very kindly by BSP chief Mayawati as she echoed her hurt sentiments by saying that the ally should have instead ensured the victory of BSP’s Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

Interestingly, the media is now rife with reports indicating that the need-based “honeymoon” between SP and BSP is over, and that the two parties would not join hands when by-elections to UP’s Kairana Lok Sabha and Noorpur Assembly seats take place in the coming months. 

This unexpected development might come as a bolt from the blue for the SP which was reportedly aiming to win the Kairana seat with proactive support of BSP. But then there are no permanent friends or foes in politics. Long live Indian democracy.

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Kumar Gupt Panchkula

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