Rajya Sabha elections 2018 voting today; SP backs BSP: Top 10 developments

In Uttar Pradesh, BJP's decision to field an extra candidate has transformed the routine election into a prestige contest with the SP and the Congress backing the BSP

Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha elections 2018

Voting for the Rajya Sabha elections 2018 in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Telangana, commenced on Friday. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is also in the fray for one of the UP Rajya Sabha seats. With the drubbing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received recently in the state bypolls for the Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats, there is only one question hanging in the air: Can the BJP snatch a ninth seat or will the newfound bonhomie between former arch-rivals Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party and Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party prevail?

In UP, the SP and the Congress are backing Mayawati's candidate. The SP is keen to ensure a clean vote transfer because that could ease the way to an alliance with the BSP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections against the Narendra Modi-BJP electoral juggernaut. In West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee is said to be supporting the Congress' candidate.

In a setback for Mayawati, however, as voting got underway BSP MLA Anil Singh told news agencies that he voted for the BJP. "I have voted for BJP, I don't know about the rest," Singh told news agency ANI.

The Rajya Sabha will have 58 vacancies in April. For the 58 Rajya Sabha seats to be filled, 33 candidates from 10 states have been elected unanimously. Meanwhile, voting for the remaining 25 seats is being held today in six states of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Telangana.

In Uttar Pradesh, both the ruling BJP and the Opposition have had their share of anxious moments because the BJP's decision to field an extra candidate has transformed the routine election into a prestige contest. The BJP is eyeing independents and some disgruntled elements in the SP and BSP who might be persuaded to cross-vote.

In all, there are 11 candidates, including Jaitley, in the fray for the 10 Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh for which polling is taking place today. The BJP has filed 18 candidates for the biennial polls.

Counting of votes will begin on Friday from 5 pm onwards. The results of the Rajya Sabha polls 2018 are expected to be announced the same evening.

Three nominated members -- actress Rekha, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, and social worker Anu Aga -- will retire in April.

Here are the top 10 developments in the Rajya Sabha elections 2018 with a prestige contest in UP underway and Arun Jaitley in the fray:

1) Ram Gopal Yadav says BJP MLAs will cross-vote in SP's favour: With the Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha polls 2018 turning into a prestige contest, SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav today told news agencies that there would be no cross-voting from his party in the BJP's favour. However, Yadav claimed that BJP MLAs would cross-vote in the SP's favour.

2) BJP confident of winning all nine RS seats from UP: Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya today told news agencies that the BJP would win all the nine Rajya Sabha seats where it has fielded candidates. "Nine more BJP candidates will make entry to the RajyaSabha from Uttar Pradesh this time," added Maurya.

Read more : Rajya sabha elections 2018

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