Rajya Sabha polls: NDA wins nine seats in Bihar, Odisha and Haryana

The National Democratic Alliance won all five Rajya Sabha seats in Bihar, three in Odisha and one in Haryana in the elections held on Monday, reported The Hindu.

While the Biju Janata Dal won one seat in Odisha, the Congress secured one in Haryana.

The polls were held for 37 Rajya Sabha seats in 10 states.

Voting was required for only 11 seats. Twenty-six candidates from seven states – Maharashtra, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Assam and Himachal Pradesh – were elected unopposed.

Among the five NDA candidates elected from Bihar were Bharatiya Janata Party chief Nitin Nabin and Janata Dal (United) president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

BJP leader Shivesh Kumar, the JD(U)’s Ramnath Thakur and Rashtriya Lok Morcha president and former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha were also elected to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar.

Nitish Kumar, who became chief minister for the 10th time in November, is expected to step down after his election to the Rajya Sabha. He is currently a member of the legislative council and has previously served terms as an MLA and Lok Sabha MP.

In Odisha, the BJP’s state chief Manmohan Samal and party leader Sujeet Kumar were among those elected. The party also secured the victory of Independent candidate Dilip Ray, whom it supported, reported The Hindu.

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