Rajya Sabha Elections: On Tuesday, Manoj Pandey, the chief of the Samajwadi Party (SP), stepped down from his position before the voting for 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. Representing Unchahar in Raebareli district as an MLA, Pandey announced his intention to support the BJP.
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Manoj Pandey’s Nameplate Taken Off
This decision came as a setback to SP president Akhilesh Yadav. Pandey’s resignation was approved, and his nameplate was taken down from the chief whip’s office. On Monday 8 MLAs including Manoj Yadav did not attend the Samajwadi Party meeting held by Akhilesh Yadav.
A senior leader of the party (SP), speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that the party chief had ordered a meeting to brief the MLAs on the voting procedure for the Rajya Sabha elections. However, Manoj Pandey and seven other MLAs – Mukesh Verma, Maharaji Prajapati, Pooja Pal, Rakesh Pandey, Vinod Chaturvedi, Rakesh Pratap Singh, and Abhay Singh – did not attend the session.
Rajya Sabha 2024 Voting
Voting commenced this morning for the high-stakes elections for the 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. Eight candidates from the BJP and three from the SP are contesting. Prominent figures like Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, and Akhilesh Yadav were among those who arrived at the state assembly to cast their votes.
SP MLAs Shaking Hands With BJP
Sources indicate that 10 MLAs affiliated with the Samajwadi Party are reportedly in discussions with the BJP regarding an additional Rajya Sabha seat, potentially considering cross-voting for the latter, as per reports.
Currently, both the ruling BJP and the primary opposition SP possess the requisite numbers to secure seven and three seats respectively in the Rajya Sabha uncontested. Furthermore, the BJP’s allies including Apna Dal (Sonelal) with 13 seats, NISHAD Party with six, RLD with nine, SBSP with six, Jansatta Dal Loktantrik with two, and the BSP with one seat, collectively contribute to the political landscape. Presently, four seats remain vacant.
Candidates Contesting From BJP And SP
The BJP has nominated seven other candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections, comprising former Union minister RPN Singh, former MP Chaudhary Tejveer Singh, Amarpal Maurya, the general secretary of the party’s Uttar Pradesh unit, former state minister Sangeeta Balwant (Bind), party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi, former MLA Sadhna Singh, and former Agra mayor Naveen Jain.
Samajwadi Party has brought Actor MP Jaya Bachchan, retired IAS officer Alok Ranjan, and dalit leader Ramji Lal Suman to fight against BJP.
Pollings have started from 9:00 am and will continue till 4:00 pm. Results will be declared by tonight.
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