Rajya Sabha Polls Today: Cross-voting underway in UP, Karnataka and Himachal | IN POINTS

Rajya Sabha Polls Today: The stage is prepared for crucial Rajya Sabha elections amidst concerns of potential cross-voting in three states – Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh. 

Three states are expected to see heated contests between the BJP and the INDIA bloc.

Voting is scheduled for 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, four in Karnataka, and one in Himachal Pradesh on from 9 am to 4 pm, with counting to follow on the same day starting from 5 pm. 
The significant concern is about the potential cross-voting, prompting parties to closely monitor their MLAs.

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ALL ABOUT RAJYA SABHA POLLS IN 3 STATES IN POINTS 

• Even though the results will be officially announced on February 27, 41 members of the 56 Rajya Sabha seats going to polls on Tuesday have virtually secured their seats in the upper house. The list also includes former Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, BJP chief JP Nadda, Ashok Chavan and Indian ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and L Murugan. In the 15 seats, elections are to be held in Uttrakhand, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh.

• In Uttar Pradesh the BJP has put up eight Rajya Sabha candidates and the Samajwadi Party 3 for the 10 seats at stake. As per the numbers in the Legislative Assembly the BJP is guarateed to win 7 seat while the SP should win 3 seats. But there are reports that several MLAs could cross vote.
• To get elected to the Rajya Sabha from UP, a candidate needs nearly 37 first preference votes. Voting for the 10 Rajya Sabha seats will be held on Tuesday and the results will be announced the same day.
• In Himachal Pradesh, Leader of Opposition and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jairam Thakur said that a whip is not issued for Rajya Sabha elections and his party has also filed a complaint with the Election Commission.

• The Congress has issued a whip for all its legislators to remain present for voting on Tuesday. February 27 is the last day of the filing of nominations to the Upper House.
  Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections from Himachal Pradesh. BJP has fielded Harsh Mahajan, a close aide of six-time chief minister Virbhadra Singh against Singhvi. Mahajan switched to the BJP ahead of the 2022 assembly elections. 
• In Karnataka,  the ruling Congress moved its legislators to a private hotel in order to avoid undue influence in a situation that has seen multiple reruns in the state's politics. DK Shivakumar, the party's chairman and its deputy chief minister, has dismissed any possibility of crossvoting by his own legislators.
• The term for Rajya Sabha MPs is six years, and elections are held after every two years for 33 per cent of the seats. Currently, the Rajya Sabha has a strength of 245 members.
• Out of the total 245 members, 233 are representatives of the States and Union Territories of Delhi, Puducherry, and Jammu and Kashmir (w.e.f. October 31, 2019) and 12 are nominated by the President

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in the country, the outcome of the polls to the Rajya Sabha is likely to have an impact in the politically crucial state. 

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