Rajya Sabha Elections 2024: BJP’s Masterstroke failed in Karnataka

Despite achieving a huge victory in Uttar Pradesh and a clinching win in Himachal Pradesh, the BJP failed to play its masterstroke in South State Karnataka as Siddharamaiah’s side turned victorious in 3 out of 4 seats in the Rajya Sabha Elections 2024. 

Huge win in Uttar Pradesh:

The BJP bagged a huge victory in Uttar Pradesh’s Rajya Sabha Elections, as all eight candidates from their party emerged victorious. The ruling party bagged 8 out of 10 seats, while the opposition party SP won the rest. 

BJP Masterstroke in Himachal Pradesh:

Despite being an opposition party in Himachal Pradesh, the BJP managed to end the RS elections as a tie. In Himachal, the elections were conducted for one candidate.

As a ruling party, Congress has the chance to win the seat with ease. But the BJP played their master stroke and managed to attain some cross votes from the Congress’ side.

As a result, the outcome of the voting turned out to be a tie, as both candidates from the BJP and the Congress, Harsh Mahajan and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, got 34 votes each.

However, the result was then declared on the basis of a draw of lots, and opposition candidate Harsh Mahajan was declared victorious.

The voting indicates that at least six ruling party MLAs voted against their party candidate.

BJP Failed in Karnataka:

Though the BJP managed to bag victories in UP and HP, it failed in Karnataka. In the Congress’s ruling state, Siddharamaiah’s side won three RS seats out of four in the fray.

The BJP managed to gain victory in the remaining seat. As a shock to the BJP, here in Karnataka, ST Somashekar, an MLA of their party, cross-voted for Congress candidate Ajay Maken, and another party MLA, Shivaram Hebbar, abstained. Nonetheless, no Congress MLA cross-voted.

While commenting on this cross-voting, the Karnataka BJP said, “We were exploring the possibility of taking legal action against our cross-voted MLAs.

We are also lodging a complaint with the Speaker U T Khader for seeking their disqualification from the Vidhan Sabha, as they violated the whip issued by our party to vote in favor of the party candidate.”