Rajya Sabha Election: Counting Underway For 11 Seats Across 3 States, 26 Wins Unopposed, Results Expected Late Evening

New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha election to fill 37 seats across 10 states was held on Monday, and the counting of votes started off at 5 pm, with the results slated to be announced later in the evening.

The term of 37 members who were elected from Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana will complete in April, thereby vacating the seats for new members to be elected.

Among them, 26 candidates have already secured victory unopposed and voting took place for the remaining 11 seats. These included five from Bihar, four from Odisha, and two from Haryana, where the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is fighting the Opposition.

The 26 candidates who were elected unopposted included seven from the BJP, five from the Congress, four from the Trinamool Congress, three from DMK, and one from Shiv Sena, RPI(A), NCP, NCP(SP), AIADMK, PMK, and UPPL. Notable winners included Sharad Pawar, Abhishek Singhvi, Tiruchi Siva, and Vinod Tawade.

One of the most notable highlights of this poll is Nitish Kumar, Bihar's longest-serving Chief Minister for over two decades who quit recently and announced that he would be heading to the Rajya Sabha. 

"I seek to become a member of the Rajya Sabha in the elections being held this time. I want to assure you with complete honesty that my relationship with you will continue in the future as well, and my resolve to work together with you to build a developed Bihar will remain steadfast. The new government that will be formed will have my full cooperation and guidance," Nitish Kumar had posted on X.

Apart from Nitish Kumar, other NDA candidates in the fray, include Upendra Kushwaha and BJP chief Nitin Nabin, who filed their nominations for the Upper House.

Amid apprehensions of possible cross-voting which are common in these polls, several political parties, particularly the Congress, had reportedly moved their legislators to resorts and locations outside their home states in a bid to ensure unity within their ranks ahead of the polling.

ALSO READ: Rajya Sabha Elections Today: Voting For 11 Seats Across 3 States As 26 Candidates Win Unopposed