Rajya Sabha elections: Results declared; BJP wins in Assam, Tripura; LDF in Kerala

Pabitra Margherita of BJP has been elected with 46 votes, while Rwngwra Narzary of UPPL received 44 votes. In the meanwhile, Ripun Bora of the Indian National Congress lost, receiving just: 35 votes.

In Assam, BJP's Pabitra Margherita and Rwngwra Narzary, backed by its ally United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) win both Rajya Sabha seats. 

With 3 seats up for grabs in Rajya Sabha from the state, counting in Assam is presently underway. The ruling BJP has nominated party leader Pabitra Margherita and Rwngwra Narzary backed by its ally United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL). Congress has fielded Ripun Bora again.  Ripun Bora and Ranee Narah are retiring from the Upper House, but Congress has fielded only one candidate since losing the majority in Assam. 

Even before the elections on March 31, RS members from Punjab Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland were elected unopposed. In Punjab, Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, and Sanjeev Arora of the Aam Aadmi Party had been elected unopposed after the Opposition with just 25 seats in the 117-member assembly fielded no candidates.

Similarly, in Himachal Pradesh, former HPU vice-chancellor Prof Sikander Kumar has been elected. He was declared the winner in the BJP-ruled state as the opposition Congress did not field any candidate against him.

Nagaland, which after last year has no opposition, elected S Phangnon Konyak unanimously.

Chief Minister of Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb congratulated BJP President Manik Saha for winning the lone Rajya Sabha seat from the state. Taking to his official Twitter handle, Deb shared a picture with Saha as he called on him after getting elected as the RajyaSabha MP.

Tripura BJP President Manik Saha wins lone Rajya Sabha seat. While Saha garnered 40 votes, his rival candidate, CPI(M) nominee Bhanu Lal Saha, bagged 15. Four seats of the 60-member Tripura assembly are now vacant. "The Rajya Sabha election was held in a peaceful manner. The result was declared after getting permission from the Election Commission. Dr Manik Saha won 40-15," Chief Electoral Officer Gitte Kirankumar Dinkarrao said.

LDF gets two seats, UDF one in Rajya Sabha elections. LDF candidates P Santosh Kumar of CPI and AA Rahim of CPIM were the winners from LDF. In the UDF, Congress candidate Jebi Mather won.

Hours after the Congress lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) citing a violation of rules by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators during voting for the Rajya Sabha elections in Assam on Thursday, the counting of votes has finally begun. BJP MLA Krishnendu Paul told ANI that both the candidates of the BJP and its ally party United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) will win in the Rajya Sabha poll.

Farewell remarks in Rajya Sabha today for 6 hours and 27 minutes has also been the longest ever with 65 speakers recalling their association with and contributions of the retiring members, sources said. The speakers included the Chairman, the Prime Minister, the Deputy Chairman, Leader of the Opposition, floor leaders of nine other parties, 11 other members and 40 retiring members.

The retirement of about one-third of the members of Rajya Sabha, once in two years, has turned out to be a unique event this year with several firsts marking the retirement of 72 members. For the group photo taken on such events, which is a coveted item for both the retiring and the continuing members, a record turnout of 203 members of Rajya Sabha was reported this morning including 23 women Members, sources said.

Chairman of Rajya Sabha M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh and Ministers, who are members of the House, were also in the frame along with the other members. Chairman Naidu enquired with the officials about the turnout for the group photo and was accordingly informed. 

The last time such a group photo was taken was in 2018 and the same had to be dispensed with in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the attendant restrictions. Sources said that according to the seniors in the Secretariat, today's enthusiastic turnout for the group photo was the highest in memory.

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday lauded the retiring “pool of performers”, and said that it is not often that a good number of strong Parliamentarians are retiring in one go. In his farewell speech, Naidu said, “A vast pool of considerable legislative experience, domain knowledge, Parliamentary skills and proven performance in the House is retiring. It is not often that such a pool of performers retires in one go.”

The Rajya Sabha Chairman also urged that the legislators across the country be propelled by “passion, performance and procedural integrity” and desist from disrupting the law-making bodies, while also upholding the honour and privilege bestowed on them by the people.

Proceedings have resumed in the Rajya Sabha. Voting for 13 vacant seats in the Upper House will take place today. 

Rajya Sabha adjourned at 1 PM after members bid farewell to the 72 retiring MPs. Proceedings will resume at 2.00 PM.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge said former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru provided the Upper House with power and integrity by making the RS MPs members of various committees. "Except, in the case of Money bills, both the Houses are equally powerful," he said. 

"Rajya Sabha is a permanent House, some members will retire while some others will come, it'll go on forever. We might have differences of opinions but we have to ensure that we work efficiently," said Kharge in his farewell speech to 72 retiring members. 

"There's a saying in politics that there are often ups & downs but one should never leave the ground. We should keep that in mind while working for the people," he added. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his farewell speech to 72 retiring Rajya Sabha MPs, thanked them for their contribution to the House. 

"Our RS Members have a lot of experience..sometimes experience has more power than academic knowledge. We will say to the retiring members 'come again'," he said in the Upper House. 

PM further said, "We have spent a long time in this Parliament. This House has contributed a lot to our lives, more than we have contributed to it. The experience gathered as a member of this House should be taken to all four directions of the country."

Vice-president and Rajya Sabha speaker informed that the 72 retiring members have a combined experience of 143 terms.

Retiring members of Rajya Sabha had a photo-op session with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, Deputy Chairman Harivansh, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in Delhi today.

Rajya Sabha resumed proceedings at 11 AM today. Voting for 13 vacant seats across 6 states to take place today.

Assam

• Pabitra Margheri - BJP
• Rwngwra Narzary - United People’s Party Liberal (BJP ally)
• Ripun Bora - Congress

Kerala

• AA Rahim - LDF
• P Santhosh Kumar - LDF
• Jebi Mather - Congress

Punjab

• Raghav Chadha - AAP 
• Sandeep Pathak - AAP 
• Ashok Mittal - AAP 
• Harbhajan Singh - AAP 
• Sanjeev Arora - AAP 

Tripura

• Manik Saha - BJP
• Bhanu Lal Saha - Left Front

Himachal Pradesh

• Prof Sikander Kumar - BJP

Nagaland

• S Phangnon Konyak - BJP

One-third of Rajya Sabha Members from each state retire every two years after serving for a tenure of six years. Only elected members of the state assemblies (MLAs) can vote in a Rajya Sabha election. They vote for preferred candidates as 1, 2, 3... in order of first, second, or third choice. In all the states, the ruling party will have an edge over the opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha elections.

Voting for 13 Rajya Sabha seats across six states will be held today, in the presence of Chairman and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu. While 5 members will be elected from Punjab, 3 will be elected from Kerala, 2 from Assam, and 1 each from Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Tripura.

In Assam, where two seats are up for grabs, the ruling BJP has fielded party leader Pabitra Margherita and Rwngwra Narzary backed by its ally UPPL. Congress has nominated Ripun Bora again for the seat. The BJP is likely to bag both seats if cross-voting takes place in the state.

In Kerala where three seats are vacant, the ruling LDF has nominated CPI(M) state committee member A A Rahim and CPI leader P Santhosh Kumar. The opposition Congress has nominated its women’s wing chief Jebi Mather.

In Punjab, Aam Aadmi Party's five nominees were elected unopposed after the Opposition fielded no candidates. AAP's Rajya Sabha nominees include Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, and Sanjeev Arora.

In Tripura, the ruling BJP has nominated state president Dr. Manik Saha for the lone Rajya Sabha seat, while the Left Front has fielded senior CPI(M) leader Bhanu Lal Saha.

In Himachal Pradesh, BJP candidate Prof Sikander Kumar won unchallenged as Congress did not field a candidate. The saffron party has 43 seats in the 68-member assembly, 

In BJP-ruled Nagaland where there is no opposition, S Phangnon Konyak has been elected unopposed. With this, she became the first female legislator to represent the state in Parliament’s Upper House.

Rajya Sabha or the 'Council of states' is a permanent House and is not subject to dissolution. One-third of Rajya Sabha Members from each state retire every two years after serving for a tenure of six years.

Only elected members of the state assemblies (MLAs) can vote in a Rajya Sabha election. They vote for preferred candidates as 1, 2, 3... in order of first, second, or third choice. In all the states, the ruling party will have an edge over the opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha elections

 Certificates were given on Friday to five Punjab Rajya Sabha candidates, who were elected unopposed to the upper house of Parliament.

AAP had nominated former cricketer Harbhajan Singh, party leader Raghav Chadha, Lovely Professional University founder Ashok Mittal, IIT-Delhi Prof Sandeep Pathak and industrialist Sanjeev Arora for the March 31 elections.

Four candidates received their certificate themselves while Harbhajan Singh's certificate was received by his authorised representative, Gulzar Inder Chahal, according to an official release here.

Rajya Sabha will bid farewell to 72 members who are retiring and Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak in the house on Thursday.

Leader of the House Piyush Goyal and Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge will also speak and bid farewell to these 72 members, including seven nominated members.

Naidu on Wednesday announced in the House that Zero Hour and Question Hour will not be taken up so as to enable the leaders and members speak on the occasion.

The Vice President of India, Venkaiah Naidu, will also host a dinner for the 72 retiring MPs at his official residence. About half a dozen Rajya Sabha Members will showcase their cultural talents at the dinner. The senior officials of the Rajya Sabha said that this would be the first time in 20 years that the members of the house would showcase their cultural talent on such an occasion. 

As per the reports, Dr Santanu Sen will play the Guitar; Dola Sen will present Rabindra Sangeet; Tiruchi Siva will render a Tamil song; Rupa Ganguly, a Hindi song and Ramachandra Jhangra, a patriotic song; Vandana Chavan will sing a Hindi song. These individual performances will be followed by a chorus song.

Nagaland, which after last year has no opposition, elected S Phangnon Konyak unanimously. This makes her the first woman from the state in the Upper House. 

In Himachal Pradesh, former HPU vice-chancellor Prof Sikander Kumar has been elected. He was declared the winner in the BJP-ruled state as the opposition Congress did not field any candidate against him.
 

The ruling BJP in Tripura has nominated state president Dr. Manik Saha for the seat. The Left Front has named senior CPI(M) leader Bhanu Lal Saha. With 40 of 60 seats in its kitty, BJP is likely to win the lone Rajya Sabha seat. Incumbent MP Jharna Das Baidya will retire on April 2.

In Assam, the ruling BJP has nominated party leader Pabitra Margherita and Rwngwra Narzary backed by its ally United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL). Congress has fielded only one candidate.

The BJP is likely to bag both seats as cross-voting is expected in the state. Congress needs 42 of the 126 votes by Assam MLAs to retain its Rajya Sabha seat. With the support of its 28 MLAs, AIUDF's 15 MLAs, CPM's 1 MLA, Congress claims to have the support of 44 MLAs. BJP, on the other hand, claims that multiple Opposition MLAs will vote for its ally UPPL's nominee - placing both seats in the NDA kitty.

With 3 seats falling vacant, the ruling LDF has nominated CPI(M) state committee member A A Rahim and CPI leader P Santhosh Kumar in Kerala. The opposition in the state, Congress has nominated its women’s wing chief Jebi Mather. Going by the current strength- 99 of the ruling party and 41 of the opposition in the state legislative Assembly- LDF can win two seats.  Congress will win its lone seat.

The three Kerala MPs whose terms are set to expire next month are A K Antony, M V Shreyams Kumar, and Somaprasad K. 

In Punjab, Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, and Sanjeev Arora of the Aam Aadmi Party have already been elected unopposed after the Opposition with just 25 seats in the 117-member assembly fielded no candidates.

The Rajya Sabha is going to go into the polls for 13 seats across six states on Thursday, March 31. Among the six states are Punjab with five seats, Kerala with three seats, Assam with two seats, and Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Tripura with one seat each, up for grabs in the Upper House of the Parliament. Elected members of the state assemblies will vote to elect members for the seats as per protocols, and the counting of votes will take place at 5 PM.

Rajya Sabha i.e. the 'Council of states' is a permanent House and is not subject to dissolution. A member who is elected for a full term serves for a period of six years. The representatives of each State and 2 Union territories (UT) are elected by the elected members of the Legislative Assembly by means of the single transferable vote, in accordance with the system of proportional representation.

In case of Union Territory, the Electoral College votes for the Rajya Sabha members. The Electoral College for the National Capital Territory of Delhi consists of the elected members of the Legislative Assembly of Delhi, and that for Puducherry consists of the elected members of the Puducherry Legislative Assembly.