Rajya Sabha polls Highlights: In Maharashtra, BJP and MVA win three seats each

In Maharashtra, where counting started early Saturday for the six Rajya Sabha seats, the BJP and the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won three each.

Two candidates of the BJP- Union minister Piyush Goyal and Anil Bonde and three of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra- Praful Patel (NCP), Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena) and Imran Pratapgarhi (Congress), were declared winners in the first round of counting of votes. 

The Congress, which earlier took to Twitter and said that Ajay Maken won the Rajya Sabha seat, deleted its tweet after one vote was declared unvalid. 

The BJP's Krishan Lal Panwar and Independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma, backed by the saffron party , have won the two Rajya Sabha seats from Haryana

Maharashtra state minister Jayant Patil said early Saturday that counting of votes has started in Maharashtra, news agency PTI reported. Meanwhile, the Election Commission also directed the returning officer of the state to reject the vote cast by Shiv Sena legislator Suhas Kande.

As the Election Commission rejected the BJP's complaint seeking cancellation of votes of 2 Congress MLAs in Haryana, counting of votes has begun in the state. 

The Election Commission on Friday rejected the BJP's complaint seeking cancellation of votes of 2 Congress MLAs in Haryana.

"A delegation of BJP met with ECI today regarding RS elections in Maharashtra and Haryana. Our party has submitted complaints in specific states as well. We have asked that this election be declared null and void on basis of broken rules of secrecy in voting," Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told reporters on Friday. 

Congress demands that Election Commission invalidate votes of BJP MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar and independent MLA Ravi Rana in Rajya Sabha election, alleging violation of rules

“This is not my victory. It is a victory for Team Congress. Entire Congress party, PCC chief DK Shivakumar, CLP leader Siddaramaiah, Chief Whips, all MLAs, everybody voted. Not a single invalid vote,it's really a victory for teamwork. It's Team Congress that has won.”

BJP's candidate for RS elections from Karnataka - FM Nirmala Sitharaman, actor-politician Jaggesh & MLC Lehar Singh Siroya have won. They got more votes than the allotted ones, people from the other party helped us, announces BJP National General Secretary CT Ravi.

The BJP on Friday suspended its Rajasthan MLA Shobharani Kushwah for cross-voting in favour of Congress candidate Pramod Tiwari in the Rajya Sabha elections.

Congress leaders Mukul Wasnik, Randeep Surjewala and Pramod Tiwari, and BJP's Ghanshyam Tiwari are set to join their colleagues in the Rajya Sabha as the party's faces from Rajasthan. However, BJP-backed independent candidate and media baron Subhash Chandra failed to make the cut with 30 votes in his kitty. Read more

In Rajasthan, three Congress candidates win, one from BJP. Here's the list:

Mukul Wasnik -42

Pramod Tiwari- 41

Randeep Surjewala-43

Ghanshyam Tiwari - 43

BJP-backed independent candidate Subhash Chandra trails with 30 votes.

Sena MP Sanjay Raut tweets, "Has someone stopped the vote counting for Rajya Sabha seats? ED's plan failed. We will only win. Jai Maharashtra."

Shiv Sena is writing to the Election Commission of India objecting to the votes of Independent legislator Ravi Rana and BJP legislator Sudhir Mungantiwar.

Permission is required from the Election Commission of India, then only will the counting begin...counting will begin, says Sena minister Eknath Shinde

RK Nandal, the returning officer for the Rajya Sabha polls for two Haryana seats,  had rejected the complaint of the BJP and Independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma that Congress MLAs Kiran Choudhary and BB Batra violated the conduct of election rules by showing their marked ballot papers to unauthorised persons. 

In his order, Nandal wrote,"I have seen the videography ( of poll proceedings) very carefully and found that there is no breach of secrecy of ballot papers. Hence the application ( seeking cancellation of votes) is rejected.”

Counting of votes has begun after Election Commission granted permission

After BJP, a Congress delegation has reached the Election Commission office in the capital.

Fate of seven candidates is sealed in the ballot boxes as voting for six seats of the Rajya Sabha elections is over. 285 members of the Maharashtra Assembly exercised their voting rights in a close contest between the ruling coalition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The counting of votes that was supposed to start at 5pm is yet to begin. Results are expected to be out within the next two hours once it is started as the Election Commission of India has taken cognisance of objections raised by the BJP. Full report

Counting of votes on hold in Haryana. BJP met the Election Commission this evening over Haryana and Maharashtra, asking that "this election be declared null & void on basis of broken rules of secrecy in voting", reports ANI

A delegation of BJP met with ECI today regarding RS elections in Maharashtra and Haryana. Our party has submitted complaints in specific states as well. We have asked that this election be declared null & void on basis of broken rules of secrecy in voting: Union minister 

The voting for Rajya Sabha elections to 16 seats across four states of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Haryana took place. The elections were held due to the number candidates exceeding the seats in these states. The Rajya Sabha polls feature prominent figures vying for a seat in the upper house across four states. Here's a look at few of them.