Page 3 - Rajya Sabha Elections

After RS poll victory in UP, BJP says will win all 80 seats in LS elections

Buoyed by the victory of its all eight candidates in the Rajya Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP on Tuesday exuded confidence that it will win all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the elections due in April-May. Speaking to PTI Video, Sudhanshu Trivedi, one of the victorious candidates of the BJP, said, "It is a matter of immense happiness that all the eight candidates of the BJP have won. Definitely, this is an indication of the future. It will be 80 out of 80 (Lok Sabha seats) in UP, and 400-plus for NDA (National Democratic Alliance) nationally." To a question on some SP MLAs siding with the BJP, he said, "The SP should itself think about why such a situation has emerged." He said Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav talks about "PDA" -- "pichhda" (backward classes), Dalit and "alpsankhyak" minorities -- but fielded "FDA" candidates -- filmstar, dynast and "afsar" (bureaucrat). Another victorious candidate of the BJP, former Union minister R P N Singh, also exuded ...

Cong unable to keep its flock together, is disintegrating, says Amit Shah

Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday that disintegration is afflicting the Congress and the opposition bloc INDIA as they are unable to keep their flock together. He made the remarks in an interview at the News9 Global Summit soon after the BJP inflicted a stunning loss on the Congress in Himachal Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha election due to cross-voting by several MLAs of the state's governing party. Shah also underlined Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's commitment to "one nation one election" and said the committee headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind will soon submit its report on the issue. The home minister is a member of the committee. Asked about the roll-out of the Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand and whether it will be implemented across the country, he called it a big social reform but added a comprehensive discussion should take place before its nationwide implementation. Social, judicial and constitutional scrutiny of the measure in the hilly state

NCP leader Praful Patel resigns from RS after re-election for new term

Praful Patel, a former Union Minister, after parting ways with Sharad Pawar had joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP

BJP secures Himachal's lone Rajya Sabha seat with cross-voting edge

Congress candidate Abhishek Singhvi lost to the BJP's Harsh Mahajan

Highlights of the day: Discovery ends Paramount merger talks, says reports

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Rajya Sabha polls highlights: BJP wins 8 seats out of 10 in UP

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RS polls: BJP accuses CM Sukhu of violating model code of conduct Shimla

He demanded that his vote should not be counted till a decision in this regard is taken by the election commission

3rd seat was loyalty test; feel ditched: Akhilesh Yadav after RS polling

Seven MLAs from Samajwadi Party (SP) cross-voted for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh

Cong suffers jolt in Gujarat as its Rajya Sabha MP Naran Rathwa joins BJP

In a major blow to the Congress in Gujarat ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, its Rajya Sabha member and former Union minister Naran Rathwa joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) along with his son and a large number of supporters here on Tuesday. The tribal leader from Chhota Udepur in Gujarat, Rathwa's tenure as the Rajya Sabha member will end in April this year. He was elected to the Lok Sabha five times - first in 1989, then in 1991, 1996, 1998 and 2004. Rathwa's son Sangramsinh had unsuccessfully contested the 2022 Gujarat assembly elections as a Congress candidate from Scheduled Tribe (ST)-reserved Chhota Udepur seat. He joined the BJP along with his father and a large number of supporters at a function. Rathwa was a Minister of State for Railways in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2004, and lost to BJP candidate Ramsinh Rathwa in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. Gujarat BJP chief C R Paatil inducted Rathwa and others into the party by offering them saffron .

Polling ends for lone RS seat from Himachal with last vote from MLA Babloo

Polling for the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Himachal Pradesh, which began at 9 am on Tuesday, ended with Congress MLA from Chintpurni Sudershan Babloo casting the last vote. The polling was brisk and all 68 members have voted. Independent MLA from Hamipur Ashish was the first to cast his vote. Congress MLA Babloo was brought to the Assembly in a helicopter as he was unwell. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu after casting his vote said the MLAs have voted as per the ideology of the party. "We have 40 MLAs in the Vidhan Sabha and unless MLAs are bought off, we will get all the votes," he said. Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur had earlier said that it was the democratic right of the MLAs to vote and it was not necessary that the candidate be elected unopposed. "We have fielded the candidate gauging the situation and hope that all MLAs would exercise their conscious vote," he added. The BJP has fielded Harsh Mahajan against Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi. Mahaja

Samajwadi Party MLA resigns as chief whip amid Rajya Sabha elections

Manoj Kumar Pandey's resignation comes a day after Pandey and 7 other SP MLAs skipped a party meeting convened by SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav

No cross-voting will be done: BJP hopeful to win Himachal Pradesh RS polls

Voting for 56 Rajya Sabha seats from 15 states, which are falling vacant in April, will be held today

RS polls: Those looking for profit will leave, says SP chief Akhilesh Yadav

Amid fears of cross-voting by Samajwadi Party MLAs in the Rajya Sabha polls on Tuesday, party chief Akhilesh Yadav said those who are looking for "profit" in the situation will leave. Speaking to reporters ahead of casting his votes, Yadav slammed the BJP saying it will adopt all means to win elections. Asked about the absence of some party MLAs from a party meeting on the polls called on Monday, Yadav said, "Those who wanted to profit from the situation will go. Those who were promised will go." "Those who put spikes in someone else' path or dig holes for others themselves fall," Yadav said in a swipe at the BJP. "You have seen what happened in Chandigarh in front of CCTV cameras. I thank the Supreme Court which saved the Constitution. BJP can adopt all tricks to win elections. It must have given assurance (to some MLAs) of some profit... BJP will do anything to win," he said. As many as eight SP MLAs did not attend a meeting called by the Yadav on Monday. A senior SP leader, ..

Cong alleges BJP planning for horse trading in HP as polls for RS underway

On Monday, the BJP nominee complained to the Chief Election Commissioner saying that the Congress has issued a three-line whip to its MLAs for the polls, which he said was unethical

Rajya Sabha polls: SP MLAs skip Akhilesh's dinner, BJP eyes 8 seats in UP

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in the country, the outcome of the polls to the Rajya Sabha is likely to have an impact in the politically crucial state

36% Rajya Sabha candidates declared criminal cases against themselves: ADR

Thirty-six per cent of Rajya Sabha candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves while the average assets of candidates analysed stood at Rs 127.81 crore, according to poll rights body Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The ADR and the National Election Watch analysed the self-sworn affidavits of 58 out of the 59 candidates in the fray for 56 seats in 15 states. The Rajya Sabha polls are scheduled for February 27. Congress candidate from Karnataka G C Chandrashekar was omitted from the analysis due to poorly scanned documents. The analysis found that 36 per cent of the scrutinised candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves. Additionally, 17 per cent of these individuals face serious criminal charges with one candidate having cases related to attempted murder. According to the analysis, eight (27 per cent) out of 30 BJP candidates, six (67 per cent) out of nine Congress candidates, one (25 per cent) out of four TMC candidates, two (67 per cent) o

Highlights of the day: Lok Sabha's fifteenth session ends today

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RS polls: 4 BJP, 1 Cong candidate file nominations from Madhya Pradesh

All four BJP candidates, including Union minister L Murugan, and one Congress candidate from Madhya Pradesh filed their nominations on Thursday for the Rajya Sabha elections to be held later this month. Murugan, BJP Kisan Morcha's national vice president Banshilal Gurjar, state party women's wing chief Maya Naroliya and Valmiki Dham Ashram head Umesh Nath Maharaj, who has been nominated by the BJP, filed their nominations before the returning officer in the state assembly complex here. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, state BJP president V D Sharma and ministers including Kailash Vijayvargiya and Prahlad Patel were present on the occasion. Earlier, Yadav welcomed Umesh Nath Maharaj and Murugan on their arrival in the state capital Bhopal for filing their nominations for the Rajya Sabha polls scheduled on February 27. The Election Commission had on January 29 released the date for the Rajya Sabha elections to 56 seats from 15 states, includ

RS polls: All 4 BJP candidates from Guj, including Nadda, file nominations

All four BJP candidates from Gujarat, including party president J P Nadda, filed their nomination papers here on Thursday for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. Besides Nadda, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated party leader from Godhra, Jashvantsinh Parmar, diamond baron Govind Dholakia and BJP leader Mayank Nayak for the election to be held on February 27. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and state BJP chief CR Paatil accompanied Nadda when he arrived at the state legislative assembly complex here to file his candidature. Returning officer Rita Mehta accepted the papers from these four BJP candidates. Though a person named Paresh Mulani has also filed his nomination as an independent candidate on Wednesday, his candidature will be rejected during scrutiny as he did not have support of any MLA, which is mandatory as per the rules, Mehta said. Since no other party has fielded candidates and Thursday being the last day to file nomination papers, these four .

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw submits nomination for Rajya Sabha polls

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday filed his nomination paper as a BJP candidate for the third Rajya Sabha seat from Odisha. Vaishnaw submitted his papers to Rajya Sabha Election Returning Officer Abanikanta Patnaik in the Odisha Assembly premises. He submitted two sets of paper, an official said. The ruling BJD had on Wednesday announced its support for Vaishnaw's candidature in the Rajya Sabha polls, as it had done in 2019. Vaishnaw, who is the Railways, Communications, Electronics & Information Technology Minister, was accompanied by BJP state president Manmohan Samal and 13 party MLAs while submitting his papers. No BJD leader was present when the Union minister filed his papers. When Vaishnaw had filed his papers for the 2019 Rajya Sabha bypoll, BJD leaders Sasmit Patra and Amar Patnaik were present. Two BJD candidates Debashish Samantaray and Subhasish Khuntia have already filed their nomination papers for the RS polls. Considering the strength of the BJD in the ..