Rajya Sabha elections in Bihar and Odisha (Image: ANI)
On Monday during the Rajya Sabha elections in Bihar and Odisha, there was a major shift in the political scenario due to some MLAs being missing and possible cross-voting. The fact that 4 MLAs are absent in Bihar and that there was some disruptions in Odisha give both states added complexity to the already high-stakes Upper House elections that are being held across the country.
According to sources, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has been successful in winning all 5 Rajya Sabha seats in Bihar. After leaving the counting location, officials from the ruling coalition indicated that their candidates were successful in winning all the seats.
The results were sent to the Election Commission of India in New Delhi for certification. Following completion of verification, an official notification will be issued to announce the winners of the elections.
Details from the counting indicated that NDA Candidate Shivesh Kumar won the final seat by obtaining enough second-preference votes to complete a 100% success rate for the alliance in Bihar.
NDA leaders have already publicly expressed confidence about the outcome, claiming that the alliance is heading towards a clean sweep in Bihar. The development has sparked intense speculation about whether the missing MLAs stayed away deliberately or due to political pressure, as discussions continue in Patna’s political circles.
In addition to this, the state of Odisha is creating further issues with respect to the voting process for Rajya Sabha members. Today, reports are coming out about the election process being halted by officials who say there was some discrepancy with the ballots. That will be one more thing to consider for a number of reasons.
New and somewhat shocking information came out today regarding the possibility that five BJD MLAs and Congress MLAs voted for the independent candidate Dilip Ray, who’s supported by the BJP. Not surprisingly, this has caused many to speculate about whether there was any crossover voting within this close contest, particularly with Ray running against the joint opposition candidate supported by both BJD and Congress.
It should also be noted that the Rajya Sabha election process in Odisha has been highly contested because the fourth seat is in a very close contest, as well as due to all the political opposition taking measures to prevent defections within their respective parties and to stop cross-voting; they have moved their MLAs to different locations and held meetings to prepare for the election.
Significant action is currently occurring on election day at the Rajya Sabha level throughout India; however, the two states at the centre of this election cycle are Bihar and Odisha for the close nature of these elections and changing party loyalties.
There were many allegations of members of the Rajya Sabha not being present during the vote, cross-voting allegations and minor disturbances during today’s voting indicating that there were extremely important and intense interactions surrounding the elections in the Rajya Sabha today.
Khalid Qasid is a media enthusiast with a strong interest in documentary filmmaking. He holds a Master’s degree in Convergent Journalism from AJK MCRC. He has also written extensively on esports at Sportsdunia. Currently, he covers world and general news at NewsX Digital.
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