Rajya Sabha Election Results 2026 Live: NDA wins on all five Rajya Sabha seats from Bihar, BJP and allies take 3 in Odisha

Ahead of the counting for the Haryana Rajya Sabha election, both Congress and BJP have raised objections regarding the secrecy of votes by certain MLAs. The objections allege that ballot papers were shown to unauthorised persons during voting, violating secrecy rules.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday claimed that there had been an “attempt at interference” with the Rajya Sabha election in Haryana.

“There is a clear attempt to interfere with the integrity of the election and it must be stopped/ redressed by the ECI immediately,” said Kharge in a letter to the poll body. “Furthermore, no disqualification of our legitimate voters/ votes cast can be allowed in what is clearly a transparent attempt to taint/ derail the process,” the letter further stated. Kharge has sought time with the ECI, asking the poll body to meet a delegation led by Abhishek Manu Singhvi and other senior Congress leaders.

All five Rajya Sabha candidates of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won comfortably in Bihar after four Opposition members, including 3 MLAs of the Congress party, skipped voting on Monday. With 44 first-preference votes each, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Nabin led the tally, followed by Ram Nath Thakur (JDU) and Upendra Kushwaha of Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) with 42 votes each, while BJP's Shivesh Ram secured 30 votes and won the fifth seat with the help of second-preference votes.

"All five NDA candidates have won, and I congratulate everyone... The way NDA has been winning so far, it will continue to win in the same manner in the future..."

Three Congress MLAs in Bihar are absent without official leave as voting for five Rajya Sabha seats is underway, with the INDIA bloc and the BJP-led NDA locked in a tight contest for the fifth seat that could hinge on cross-voting.

• The absence of three Congress MLAs and one Rashtriya Janata Dal MLA in Bihar is likely to ensure victory for the NDA candidates contesting for the Upper House in the state. Many NDA leaders, across BJP and JDU, have already stated that they are set for a clean sweep in the elections.

The former Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik told ANI, "I have spoken to most of you in the last few days about the BJP and their allies, for the horse trading they will do. They've collected a number of people who voted for them. Most of them have criminal pasts..."

Bhakta Charan Das, president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee, said three MLAs of his party have voted against the party whip in the ongoing biennial Rajya Sabha elections.

The Rajya Sabha will function on the weekend on March 28-29 as the government has accepted the request of some members not to hold sittings on March 19-20 on account of festivals, Chairman C P Radhakrishnan informed members.

The Rajya Sabha elections are currently being held across 10 states, with a total of 37 seats up for grabs.

The contests cover Maharashtra (7 seats), Tamil Nadu (6), West Bengal (5), Bihar (5), Odisha (4), Assam (3), Chhattisgarh (2), Haryana (2), Telangana (2), and Himachal Pradesh (1).

Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi commented on the ongoing Haryana Rajya Sabha elections, expressing concern over the internal condition of Congress MLAs in the state.

Speaking to reporters, Sanghavi said, “Looking at the condition of Congress MLAs in Haryana, they are being treated poorly, and I feel sad for them. There are trust issues among them.”

He added that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is poised to lead and secure victory in the elections, citing the apparent disarray within the Congress ranks.

Odisha Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today criticised the handling of the Rajya Sabha elections, alleging violations of election rules in the voting process.

Patnaik said, “The MLA of Brahmagiri had made a clear mistake while voting. But the officer sitting in the voting room who is in charge of this has illegally accepted her vote and has issued a second ballot paper. This is totally against the democratic norms and a violation of election rules. We are objecting to it strongly, but they are not listening, thereby totally destroying the democratic election process.”

Haryana Minister Anil Vij showed determination ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections, stating that he would cast his vote despite suffering fractures in both his legs.

Speaking to reporters before voting, Vij said, “I am going to cast my vote even though I have suffered a fracture in both my legs. I will certainly go to cast my vote. We will win both the seats from Haryana.”

Komal Singh, MLA of the Janata Dal (United), also expressed confidence that the ruling NDA will win all five Rajya Sabha seats from Bihar.

Speaking to reporters in Patna during voting, Singh said the alliance had consistently maintained that it would secure all the seats.

“I am very happy that today we are winning all five seats. Whatever the leaders of the Mahagathbandhan say has no basis or facts,” he said. “There is no doubt about it. All five seats are going to the NDA’s account,” Singh added.

Patna: Shravan Kumar, a minister in Bihar, on Monday said around 80% of MLAs from the Janata Dal (United) had already cast their votes in the Rajya Sabha elections.

“Eighty per cent of JD(U) MLAs have already voted. Twenty per cent are left, and I believe the remaining votes will be cast within an hour,” he told reporters in Patna.

Responding to remarks by Tejashwi Yadav, leader of the opposition and senior leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Kumar dismissed the claims as baseless.

“His claim is hollow and beyond the truth. He always makes such claims, and his claims are never true,” he said.

Several prominent members of the Rajya Sabha are set to complete their terms in April, paving the way for elections to fill the vacancies in the Upper House.

Those retiring include Union ministers Ram Nath Thakur and Ramdas Athawale, as well as Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh.

Among other notable leaders whose terms are ending are Sharad Pawar, leader of the Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar faction, Upendra Kushwaha of the Rashtriya Lok Morcha, and senior Indian National Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

M. Thambidurai of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is also among the members completing their tenure.

Upendra Kushwaha, chief of the Rashtriya Lok Morcha, this morning, said all five candidates of the ruling National Democratic Alliance are certain to win the Rajya Sabha elections from Bihar.

“The counting is happening today itself, so the results will be exactly as we have been saying,” Kushwaha told reporters in Patna.

He also mocked the Rashtriya Janata Dal, saying, “When RJD itself is gradually disappearing from the political scene of Bihar, what can we say about their MLAs disappearing.” Kushwaha added that the victory of all five NDA candidates was “more than 100% certain.”

Mangal Pandey, a minister in the Bihar government and leader of the BJP, also expressed confidence that all candidates of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would win in the Rajya Sabha elections from the state.

“Today the voting process will be completed, and all NDA candidates will win,” Pandey told reporters in Patna.

He also criticised the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) over reports that its legislators had been accommodated in a hotel ahead of the vote. “They don’t trust their own MLAs, that is why they are doing this,” Pandey said.

Shivesh Ram, the BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections from Bihar, expressed his confidence this morning that the NDA would win all five seats in the state.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the polling, Ram said the ruling alliance remained united while the opposition was divided. “Behind us, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working on the development of the country. All leaders of Bihar are united, and very good results are going to come in the evening. All five NDA candidates are going to win,” he said.

Ram also asserted that the alliance’s victory was certain due to its unity. “Victory is absolutely certain because we are united and the opposition is not united. I need three votes and they need six votes. Let them come to the House,” he added.

Intense political activity unfolded in Bihar on Sunday ahead of elections to five seats in the Rajya Sabha, with the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) expressing confidence of a clean sweep even as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) rallied support for its lone candidate.

Polling for the five seats will take place today.

In the meantime, leaders of the NDA in Bihar have expressed confidence that the alliance would win all five Rajya Sabha seats from the state.

JD(U) leader Sanjay Kumar Jha said the alliance remained united and predicted a decisive outcome. “The entire NDA is united… We will win all five seats by a huge margin. The opposition is nervous because they know only this government delivers development,” he said.

Bihar minister Ashok Chaudhary said legislators were being briefed and mock polls conducted ahead of voting. “Rajya Sabha elections have not taken place in Bihar for a long time, so everyone is being explained. We will win all five seats,” he said.

In Bihar, Tejashwi Yadav, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, on Sunday sought support from the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for Monday. Yadav attended an Iftar hosted by AIMIM’s Bihar president Akhtarul Iman in Patna and expressed confidence that opposition parties would unite to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party.

“Akhtarul Iman from the AIMIM party had invited us for Iftar, and we have arrived here today. We have sought support from the AIMIM party, and I am confident that in tomorrow’s Rajya Sabha election all secular parties will come together to defeat the BJP,” Yadav told reporters.

Meanwhile, in Odisha, the contest centres on the fourth Rajya Sabha seat, though the BJP and the Biju Janata Dal are expected to win two seats each.

State BJP chief Manmohan Samal, BJP MP Sujit Kumar, and BJD leader Santrupt Mishra are set to be elected unopposed.

In the 147-member assembly, 30 votes are required to win a seat. The BJP has 79 MLAs and the backing of three Independents, taking its tally to 82, enough to comfortably secure two seats, leaving 22 surplus votes.

To win a third seat, however, the BJP would need eight additional votes. The BJD, with 48 MLAs, is assured of one seat. If the 14 Congress MLAs and the lone Communist Party of India (Marxist) legislator support it, their tally would rise to 33, above the winning mark.

BJP-backed candidate Dilip Ray would therefore need support from at least eight MLAs outside the party’s bloc, with sources saying his camp is looking at Congress and some BJD legislators.

In Bihar, four of the five Rajya Sabha seats appear largely decided. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Ramnath Thakur of the Janata Dal (United), along with Nitin Nabin and Shivam Kumar of the Bharatiya Janata Party, are expected to win comfortably.

The fifth seat has turned into a direct contest between NDA nominee Upendra Kushwaha and AD Singh of the Opposition Mahagathbandhan, led by Tejashwi Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

The Opposition alliance currently has 35 MLAs and needs 41 votes to secure victory. All five MLAs of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen have announced support for the RJD-led bloc, a decision finalised during an Iftaar hosted by the party’s Bihar chief Akhtarul Iman that Tejashwi Yadav attended. The alliance also has backing from one Bahujan Samaj Party MLA.

The NDA, however, remains confident of victory. For Kushwaha to win, the alliance would need support from at least three Opposition MLAs, with his camp hoping for cross-voting from some Congress legislators and the lone BSP member.

State minister Ranbir Singh Gangwa said the party had completed preparations for the election and could extend support to the Independent candidate if it has surplus votes.

“BJP is fully prepared and we have completed our training session. Tomorrow we will be voting… We have decided that our extra votes will go to the independent candidate,” he said.

Another minister, Vipul Goel, also said the BJP candidate is expected to win while the Independent candidate would receive the support requested.

Meanwhile, Independent MLA Rajesh Joon predicted a strong showing by Nandal. “Satish Nandal ji will win the seat with a huge majority,” he said.

Minister Rao Narbir Singh said the outcome would be clear soon after voting, adding that “sometimes even the impossible becomes possible.”

The election for a seat in the Rajya Sabha from Haryana has turned into a three-way contest, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Indian National Congress, and an Independent candidate in the fray.

The BJP has fielded former MP Sanjay Bhatia, while the Congress has nominated Karamvir Singh Boudh. Independent candidate Satish Nandal is also contesting the election scheduled for March 16.

Ahead of the polls, BJP leaders expressed confidence about the party’s prospects, saying they expect their candidate to secure victory.

Haryana minister Shyam Singh Rana said party legislators had been trained to avoid errors during voting. “One needs practice to avoid any mistakes in the voting,” he said.

One of the key developments in the Rajya Sabha polls is the candidacy of Nitish Kumar, Bihar’s longest-serving chief minister.

The 75-year-old has filed his nomination for the Upper House, signalling a move to the Rajya Sabha after more than two decades leading the state.

“I seek to become a member of the Rajya Sabha in the elections being held this time,” Kumar said in a post on X, adding that the new government in Bihar would have his “full cooperation and guidance”.

Kumar filed his nomination in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Other NDA candidates from Bihar include Upendra Kushwaha and state BJP chief Nitin Nabin.

Other parties with one candidate elected unopposed include Shiv Sena, Republican Party of India (Athawale), Nationalist Congress Party, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Pattali Makkal Katchi, and United People’s Party Liberal. Prominent leaders elected unopposed include Sharad Pawar, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Tiruchi Siva, and Vinod Tawde.

The elections in Bihar, Haryana and Odisha have emerged as the main battlegrounds between the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, and Opposition parties seeking to expand their presence in the Upper House.

With most seats decided uncontested, parties have already secured a substantial number of positions. The BJP has won seven seats unopposed, followed by the Indian National Congress with five. The All India Trinamool Congress has secured four seats, while the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has won three.