New Delhi: The much-anticipated results for 16 seats of Rajya Sabha across four states - Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana and Karnataka - were finally declared after high voltage drama - from delayed counting, allegations of horse-trading to the accusation that the election commission supported BJP, the polls saw them all. 


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Union ministers and BJP leaders Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal, Congress' Randeep Surjewala and Jairam Ramesh and Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut were among the 16 candidates elected to the Rajya Sabha from four states where polling was held after the tussle over cross-voting and alleged breach of election rules delayed the counting by around eight hours in Maharashtra and Haryana. 



Maharashtra Rajya Sabha Election 2022: Setback for Sena-led coalition


Maharashtra's ruling Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance suffered a jolt as the main opposition BJP won three of the six Rajya Sabha seats in the state, the results of which were announced early Saturday. The BJP winners include Union minister Piyush Goyal, former state minister Anil Bonde, and Dhananjay Mahadik. Shiv Sena's ubiquitous face Sanjay Raut, NCP's Praful Patel, a former union minister, and Congress' Imran Pratapgarhi also won the fiercely-fought elections. Former MP Dhananjay Mahadik of the BJP defeated Shiv Sena's Sanjay Pawar for the sixth seat.


Haryana Rajya Sabha Election 2022: Congress' Ajay Maken loses out


The Congress suffered a major setback in Haryana where BJP's Krishan Lal Panwar and the saffron party-backed Independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma won the two seats for which elections were held, while the grand old party's Ajay Maken, a former union minister, lost.
Returning Officer R K Nandal said Panwar got 36 votes, while Sharma got 23 first preference votes and 6.6 votes transferred by the BJP, taking his tally to 29.6. It was a photo-finish as Maken got 29 votes, but lost on account of having failed to secure any second preference votes.
Congress MLA and authorised polling agent BB Batra said while the vote of a party MLA was declared invalid, Kuldeep Bishnoi cross-voted for Sharma, a media baron who had entered the poll fray as an Independent candidate supported by the BJP and its ally JJP.


Karnataka Rajya Sabha Election 2022: BJP all the way


In an emphatic endorsement for the BJP in Karnataka, the ruling party had the last laugh as it won all the three Rajya Sabha seats it contested out of the four that went to polls. The main opposition Congress managed to win only one of the two seats for which its nominees were in the fray, while the JD(S) drew a blank. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, actor-politician Jaggesh, and MLC Lehar Singh Siroya of the BJP, and former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh of the Congress were declared victorious. Sitharaman and Ramesh have been re-elected to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka.


Rajasthan Rajya Sabha Elections: Congress holds fort


In Rajasthan, the ruling Congress won three of the four seats and the BJP one. Congress candidates Randeep Surjewala, Mukul Wasnik and Pramod Tiwari were declared elected, and so was BJP's Ghanshyam Tiwari. In an interesting development, BJP MLA Shobharani Kushwah cross-voted in favour of Congress candidate Pramod Tiwari. The BJP promptly suspended her from the party's primary membership. "When everybody knows that 126 MLAs are with us, why did they (BJP) field an independent candidate? They wanted to attempt horse-trading but that did not happen," a jubilant Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot told reporters 


Rajya Sabha Elections 2022: RESULTS IN 4 STATES


Following are the results of the Rajya Sabha elections held in four states:


MAHARASHTRA:


Seats: 6
Contestants: 7 (BJP 3, Shiv Sena 2, Congress 1 and NCP 1)


Results
BJP: 3
Shiv Sena: 1
Congress: 1
NCP: 1


Winners:
Piyush Goyal (BJP)
Anil Bonde (BJP)
Dhananjay Mahadik (BJP)
Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena)
Imran Pratapgarhi (Congress)
Praful Patel (NCP)


RAJASTHAN:


Seats: 4
Contestants: 5 (Congress 3, BJP 1 and 1 Independent backed by BJP and RLP)


Results:


Congress: 3
BJP: 1


Winners:


Randeep Surjewala (Congress)
Mukul Wasnik (Congress)
Pramod Tiwari (Congress)
Ghanshyam Tiwari (BJP)


KARNATAKA


Seats: 4


Contestants: 6 (BJP 3, Congress 2 and JD-S 1)


Results


BJP: 3
Congress: 1


Winners:
Nirmala Sitharaman (BJP)
Jaggesh (BJP)
Lahar Singh Siroya (BJP)
Jairam Ramesh (Congress)


HARYANA


Seats: 2
Contestants: 3 (BJP 1, Congress 1 and 1 Independent)
Results
BJP: 1
Independent: 1


Winners:
Krishan Lal Panwar (BJP)
Kartikeya Sharma (Independent backed by BJP-JJP)


(With PTI inputs)