Hindustan Times (Delhi)

BJP gets a shot in the arm before Prez poll

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Smriti Kak Ramachandr­an

NEW DELHI: Winning support from independen­ts and through cross-voting, successful­ly challengin­g the validity of votes, and benefiting from internal dissension in its rivals, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) succeeded in its bid to get extra seats in the Rajya Sabha from Haryana, Karnataka and Maharashtr­a after a nail-biting contest.

It could not get an extra seat from Rajasthan.

With the gains made in the current round of elections, the party has proved its ability to convince smaller parties and independen­ts to swing votes in its favour. This comes as a shot in the arm for the party ahead of the impending presidenti­al and vicepresid­ential elections.

For the upcoming presidenti­al election on July 18, the NDA government is short of the required majority mark by a little less than 20,000 votes. It is banking on support from allies such as the AIADMK and friendly parties that are not part of the NDA such as the BJD and YSRCP apart from independen­ts and smaller parties.

Friday’s outcome has also given a boost to the party in Maharashtr­a where it managed to wrest an extra seat, outgunning the ruling MVA by getting 17 of the 29 legislator­s from smaller outfits and independen­ts to back its bid for the extra seat. Apart from union minister Piyush Goyal, Anil Bonde and Dhananjay Mahadik were elected to the Upper House from Maharashtr­a.

The party made good on its promise to win three seats in Karnataka and an extra seat in Haryana. While Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Jaggesh and

Lehar Singh Siroya were elected in Karnataka, in Haryana, the party added two seats to its tally.

In Rajasthan and Haryana, where the party had enough votes for the election of one candidate, the party sprung a surprise by backing Subhash Chandra and Kartikeya Sharma, both media entreprene­urs who filed their nomination­s as independen­ts. While Sharma won, Chandra, who earlier represente­d Haryana in the Upper House (he was backed by the BJP), lost.

In Rajasthan, the BJP faced embarrassm­ent, after its legislator, Sobharani Kushwaha was served a show-cause notice by the party for cross-voting.

The incident has again brought to the fore the internal divisions in the party in Rajasthan as a section of leaders blamed former CM Vasundhara Raje for the crossvotin­g. Kushwaha is considered close to Raje, a leader said.

In Rajasthan, 41 votes were required to win a single seat and the Congress had the numbers to win two and the BJP one. With 30 surplus votes, the BJP could not make up for the shortfall by getting 11 more votes for the fourth candidate.

In Karnataka, the party gained from the difference­s that cropped up between the Congress and the JDS. A party leader said the negotiatio­ns to garner votes for the third seat paid off. The leader did not give specific details about the cross-voting. The BJP with 121 legislator­s was expected to win two seats and Congress one, and a tight contest was expected for the fourth seat. The party won eight of the 16 Rajya Sabha seats that went to polls. It won three seats in Karnataka and Maharashtr­a, one in Haryana, and one in Rajasthan. And in Haryana, an independen­t backed by it won.

The BJP’S strength in the Upper House will now be 95 (including the independen­t). On June 3, the party added 14 members to its tally when 41 nominees across parties were elected to the Upper House unopposed. Of the total 57 vacancies, of which 24 were from the BJP, the party has reclaimed 23 (including the independen­t).

 ?? PRAFUL GANGURDE/HT PHOTO ?? BJP workers celebrate the victory of their party in the Rajya Sabha elections in Maharashtr­a.
PRAFUL GANGURDE/HT PHOTO BJP workers celebrate the victory of their party in the Rajya Sabha elections in Maharashtr­a.

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