#RajyaSabhaElections: After inspection of CCTV footages, counting starts in Uttar Pradesh

NewsBharati    23-Mar-2018
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Lucknow, March 23: Counting of votes for Rajya Sabha elections begins in Uttar Pradesh after clearance from the Election Commission. Earlier, EC had denied permission due to some objections in ballot papers.

ACEO Ramesh Rai said, the CCTV footage has been examined and nothing objectionable has been found. The process was halted after BSP has filed complaint with EC saying MLAs Nitin Agarwal and Anil Singh did not show votes to polling agents before casting their vote. Both these MLAs are believed to have cross-voted.

Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party has file complaint with top poll body since the two MLAs Nitin Agarwal and Anil Singh (BSP) did not disclose their votes to their respective party agents while casting their votes.

A total of 11 candidates are in the fray for 10 Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh with BJP fielding 9 candidates and SP and BSP fielding one candidate each.

While Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and BJP spokersperson GVL Narasimha Rao are the top contenders from U, Samajwadi Party has fielded Jaya Bachchan and the BSP has made Bhimrao Ambedkar its candidate.

Meanwhile, the contested four seats were won by two candidates each from the BJP and Congress in Gujarat as they were elected unopposed. Purshottam Rupala and Mansukh Mandavia from BJP and Naran Rathwa and Amee Yajnik from Congress were declared as the winners.

In West Bengal, six candidates will battle it out for five Rajya Sabha seats. Ruling Trinamool has four candidates in the fray. The party has also extended support to the single Congress candidate- Abhieshk Manu Singhvi.

Four candidates are trying their luck from Telangana, where polling is being held for three seats. Four candidates, three from Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and one from the Congress are in the fray.

Five candidates are in the electoral arena in Karnataka for four seats. The state’s ruling Congress has fielded three nominees, while there is one each from the BJP and JD(S).

In Jharkhand, polling is taking place for two Rajya Sabha seats. While the BJP has fielded two candidates the opposition has jointly fielded Dhiraj Prasad Sahu of the Congress.

In Chhattisgarh, voting is taking place for one Rajya Sabha seat. The candidates in the fray are BJP national general secretary Saroj Pandey and Lekhram Sahu of the Congress.

The elections today come after 33 candidates were elected unopposed from 10 states on 15th March.

In total, 59 Rajya Sabha seats are at stake of which the BJP is guaranteed 28. So its total members in the Upper House will increase from 58 to at least 69.