Rajya Sabha Polls: BJP Wins 8 Seats in Four States

The Bharatiya Janata Party registered a win in three of the four states where elections were held for 16 Rajya Sabha seats on Friday (June 10). The Congress retained three seats in Rajasthan, but suffered setback in Haryana. In Maharashtra, the ruling alliance suffered a jolt.

HD Deve Gowda's Janata Dal (Secular), whose home base is Karnataka, did not win a single seat in the Rajya Sabha election from the state today. BJP's Nirmala Sitharaman, Jaggesh and Lehar Singh Siroya took three out of the four seats, while the Congress's Jairam Ramesh won the only remaining seat.

In Haryana, there was midnight drama that ended in Congress heartbreak. After tweeting that Ajay Maken has won, the Congress had to delete the tweet when in recounting, BJP-backed media baron Kartikeya Shamra emerged the winner.

In Rajasthan, the Congress won three of the four Rajya Sabha seats it contested. One seat has gone to the BJP. A closely watched contest marked with cross-voting and defections -- was held on 16 seats across four states.

At least 41 candidates have already been elected unopposed. The Upper House election will be crucial in view of the Presidential election which is scheduled to be held on July 18.

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