In Uttar Pradesh, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) clinched eight Rajya Sabha seats, dealing a blow to the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance, which managed to secure only two seats.
Both the ruling party and the opposition had sufficient numbers to secure three and ten seats, respectively. However, the BJP introduced an eighth candidate, Sanjay Seth, who filed his nomination papers just before the 3 pm deadline on February 15.
Polling for the ten Rajya Sabha seats took place from 9 am to 4 pm, during which five legislators from the Samajwadi Party reportedly voted in favor of the ruling party.
Each candidate needed the support of 37 MLAs, considering the current strength of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly.
The Samajwadi Party had nominated three candidates, including Jaya Bachchan, Alok Ranjan, and Ramjilal Suman. To secure their election, they needed the support of 111 legislators. However, the party had the backing of only 108 MLAs, along with two members from the Congress.
Due to certain constraints, including two jailed MLAs and one abstaining legislator, the SP fell short of the required electoral strength. Furthermore, five members engaged in cross-voting, exacerbating the party’s challenges.
The BJP-led NDA aimed to garner the support of 296 MLAs for its eight candidates. However, it only managed to secure backing from 277 MLAs. Despite nine Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) MLAs leaning towards the saffron party, the BJP’s tally remained ten short of the desired figure.
