Rajya Sabha Election 2022: Voting for 13 seats tomorrow; ruling parties hold edge across six states

The voting for 13 Rajya Sabha seats across six states will be held tomorrow, March 31. While five members will be elected from Punjab, three members will be elected from Kerala, two from Assam and one each from Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Tripura. While five members of Punjab are retiring on April 9, those from the rest of the states are retiring on April 2. The counting of votes will be undertaken post-5 pm tomorrow.

A third of Rajya Sabha Members from each state retire every two years after serving for a tenure of six years. Only elected members of the state assemblies vote in a Rajya Sabha election. They mark their preference for the candidates as 1, 2 3… in order of their first, second or third choice. In all the states, the ruling party will have an edge over the opposition parties.

In Assam, where two seats are up for grabs, the ruling BJP has nominated party leader Pabitra Margherita and Rwngwra Narzary backed by its ally United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL). Congress has fielded Ripun Bora again from the seat. While Ranee Narah and Ripun Bora are retiring, Congress has fielded only one candidate since losing majority in Assam. The BJP is likely to bag both seats as cross-voting is expected in the state.

In Kerala where three seats are falling vacant, the ruling LDF has nominated CPI(M) state committee member A A Rahim and CPI leader P Santhosh Kumar. The opposition Congress has nominated its women’s wing chief Jebi Mather. Those retiring are A K Antony, M V Shreyams Kumar, and Somaprasad K.

In Punjab where Aam Aadmi Party stormed into power winning a thumping majority, Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh and Sanjeev Arora were elected unopposed after opposition with just 25 seats in the 117-member assembly fielded no candidates. The AAP has 92 members in the assembly.

In BJP-ruled Tripura, the ruling party has nominated state president Dr Manik Saha for the lone Rajya Sabha seat. The Left Front has named senior CPI(M) leader Bhanu Lal Saha.

In Himachal Pradesh, the BJP which has 43 seats in the 68-member assembly, BJP candidate Prof Sikander Kumar won unchallenged as Congress did not field a candidate.

In Nagaland where there is no opposition, S Phangnon Konyak has been elected unopposed. With this, she has become the first female legislator to represent the state in Parliament’s Upper House.