Four seats each in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, three each in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, two in Jharkhand, and one each in Manipur, Mizoram, and Meghalaya go to the polls
Delhi: Elections for 19 Rajya Sabha seats, spread across eight states began today and counting of votes will commence at 5 pm. At stake are four seats each in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, three each in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, two in Jharkhand, and one each in Manipur, Mizoram, and Meghalaya. Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan are all set to see a close fight between the BJP and the Congress. The vote was deferred from March 26 to June 19, 2020, due to the COVID19 pandemic and the lockdown which has so far claimed 12,237 lives in India.
SOP’s designed by the Election commission of India is in place for the polls. These include separate routes and waiting areas for MLAs suspected to have Covid-19 arriving in the state for polling. The ECI has stationed paramedical teams at the polling center. Masks, gloves, and sanitizers will be made available at four-five places within the premises, including toilets, to be used by candidates, MLAs, polling staff, and others present. The entire polling center will also be sanitized before the process begins.
Horse trading normally is up just before polls and the RS polls are no exception. In Gujarat, as per the current strength, both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress do not have the required numbers in the assembly to secure victory for all its candidates. The BJP has fielded three candidates — Abhay Bharadwaj, Ramilaben Bara, and Narhari Amin, while the Congress has nominated two — Shaktisinh Gohil and Bharatsinh Solanki. The elections were necessitated after the term of four MPs ended in April this year; three of them were from BJP — Chunibhai Gohel, Shambhuprasad Tundiya, and Lalsinh Vadodia — and one was veteran Congress leader, Madhusudan Mistry.
In Manipur, nine members of the ruling coalition resigned putting the government in jeopardy. The opposition Congress has asked for a no-confidence motion against the N Biren Singh government. The BJP has fielded Leisemba Sanajaoba, the titular king of Manipur, while the Congress nominee is T Mangi Babu.
In Karnataka, where elections were to be held for four seats, all the candidates — former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, BJP candidates Iranna Kadadi and Ashok Gasti — have been declared elected unopposed. BJP nominee Nabam Rebia was also elected unopposed to the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Arunachal Pradesh.
In Madhya Pradesh, both the BJP and the Congress have fielded two candidates each for the three seats. While the BJP’s candidates are former Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia – as a reward for joining the BJP bandwagon along with his supporters and bringing down the government – and Sumer Singh Solanki, the Congress has named Digvijaya Singh and Dalit leader Phool Singh Baraiya. In the 230-member assembly, the BJP currently has 107 MLAs and also enjoys the support of two legislators of the Bahujan Samaj Party, one of the Samajwadi Party and two Independents, while the opposition Congress has 92 MLAs. Currently, the effective strength of the House is 206, as 24 seats are lying vacant. While the BJP is expected to win two seats and the Congress one seat, the fight will be for the fourth slot.
In Rajasthan, resort politics is in play. Both the Congress and the BJP are hosting their MLAs at hotels fearing poaching. There are three seats and four candidates – two from Congress and two from BJP – have filed nomination papers. The Congress has nominated KC Venugopal and Neeraj Dangi, while the BJP has fielded Rajendra Gehlot and Onkar Singh Lakhawat.
All said and done – a very interesting poll amid the Pandemic and the Chinese border aggression.
