Haryana RS result: Decoding the math behind Kartikeya’s win
Despite fewer first preference votes than Congress candidate Ajay Maken, BJP-backed Independent candidate found his way into Upper House. Hitender Rao decodes how the Independent pulled it off.
BJP-backed independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma wrested the second Rajya Sabha seat from Haryana despite getting fewer first preference votes than his Congress rival, Ajay Maken.
In terms of first preference votes, BJP’s Krishan Lal Panwar polled 36 votes, Kartikeya 23 and Maken 29 votes. Here's how the media baron and son of former Congress minister Venod Sharma made it to the Upper House.
Total MLAs in Haryana
90
Number who voted in RS poll
89
Number of valid votes
88
• According to the formula devised by the Election Commission (EC), the quota required to win one seat was: 2,934
• How the quota is determined: Where more than one RS seat is to be filled, every valid ballot paper is deemed to be of the value of 100 at the first count and is called the original vote.
• So, for Friday’s poll it would be: 88x100/3+1=2,934
• BJP’s Krishan Lal Panwar got 36 first preference votes. The value of votes in his favour were 36x100=3,600. Since he got more than the quota required to win, he was declared elected.
• The surplus votes of Panwar 3,600 (votes he polled) – 2,934 (the quota required to win) is 666.
• In the case of Kartikeya, 11 voters marked second preference in his favour. So, the new value of each vote cast in second preference (which will be different from the original value of 100 for each vote) was 666/11=60. Sharma got an additional 660 value (11x60) due to 11 second preference votes in his favour.
• According to the EC’s formula, the value of 23 first preference votes cast in favour of Sharma was 23x100 + 11 (the number of second preference votes) x 60. This worked out to be 2,300+660=2,960. Thus, Sharma also got more than the quota required to win (i.e. 2,934). Hence, he was declared elected.
• The value of votes polled to Congress candidate Ajay Maken was 29x100= 2,900, which was less than the quota required and also less than the value of votes polled by Kartikeya. Thus, he lost.