MVA-BJP political drama holds up results in Maha CONGRESS WINS 3 RS SEATS IN RAJ, CHANDRA LOSES

MUMBAI: The declaration of results for six Rajya Sabha seats in Maharashtra was held up on Friday after the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) to disqualify the votes of certain legislators from each other’s camps on account of alleged rule-breaking.

In an atmosphere many legislators described as “vitiated”, the two sides traded barbs and allegations even as a delegation of BJP leaders met ECI officials in New Delhi on Friday evening. Within the hour, leaders of MVA constituents — Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress — countered BJP’S move with a written complaint to the Chief Election Commissioner.

The allegations referred to the conduct of five legislators. The BJP alleged cabinet ministers Jitendra Awhad (NCP) and Yashomati Thakur (Congress), as well as Sena legislator Suhas Kande showed their ballot papers to people other than their own polling agents, which is against the rules.

The MVA claimed the votes of BJP MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar and independent MLA Ravi Rana, who supported the BJP, were invalid. The latter, the MVA wrote, “vitiated the voting procedure by openly displaying Hanuman Chalisa and sought to influence others voters.”

JAIPUR: The Congress won three of the four Rajya Sabha seats on offer in Rajasthan and the Bharatiya Janata Party won one, bolstering the position of chief minister Ashok Gehlot who faces a challenging poll campaign next year. Congress nominees Mukul Wasnik, Randeep Singh Surjewala and Pramod Tiwari won with 42, 43 and 41 votes, and BJP’S Ghanshyam Tiwari won with 43 votes. Bjp-supported independent candidate, media baron Subhash Chandra, lost with 30 votes.