Rajya Sabha election 2024: As many as seven legislators of Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party cross-voted for the BJP candidate in the ongoing Rajya Sabha polls on Tuesday (February 27), sources claimed. An MLA from NDA-ally Om Prakash Rajbhar's Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party has also cross voted for the Samajwadi Party, sources added.
According to the sources, those Samajwadi Party MLAs who voted for the BJP include Rakesh Pandey, Abhay Singh, Rakesh Pratap Singh, Manoj Pandey, Vinod Chaturvedi, Pooja Pal and Ashutosh Maurya. Maharaji Prajapati did not come to vote in the election. Jagdish Narayan Rai belonging to OP Rajbhar's SBSP cross voted for the Samajwadi Party.
The development comes a day after at least seven SP MLAs skipped a crucial party meeting on the eve of the Rajya Sabha elections.
According to reports, SP MLAs -- Rakesh Pandey father of Ritesh Pandey who recently switched to BJP from BSP, Abhay Singh, Rakesh Pratap Singh, Manoj Pandey, Vinod Chaturvedi, Maharaji Prajapati and Pooja Pal -- did not attend the meeting yesterday. These are the same MLAs of the Samajwadi Party who cross-voted today.
Rajya Sabha elections
The BJP has fielded eight candidates and the Opposition Samajwadi Party three for the 10 seats that went to polls in Uttar Pradesh. The outcome of the polls to the Rajya Sabha is likely to have an impact in the politically crucial state just ahead of the general elections in the country.
The ruling BJP and the principal opposition SP have the numbers to send seven and three members respectively unopposed to the Rajya Sabha, but with the BJP fielding Sanjay Seth as its eighth candidate, a keen contest is on the cards in one of the seats.
