Rajya Sabha polls today: Disadvantage SP in UP, Congress keeps close watch in Karnataka, Himachal

Mock voting, dinners and back-channel dialogue, a complaint to the Election Commission (EC), and legislators sequestered in a hotel. The stage is set for a high-octane Rajya Sabha election battle in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday.

There are 10 Upper House vacancies from UP, of which the BJP has the numbers to win seven unopposed and the Samajwadi Party (SP) can win three. But with the BJP fielding businessman-turned-politician Sanjay Seth as its eighth candidate, a contest is on the cards for one of the seats. A former SP leader, Seth joined the BJP in 2019.

In Karnataka, there are four Rajya Sabha seats and five candidates in the fray. The candidature of Janata Dal (Secular) leader and real estate baron D Kupendra Reddy has made a contest inevitable for the fourth seat. As the numbers stand now, the Congress is assured of a win in three seats and the BJP is set to win one.

In Himachal Pradesh, the Congress has the numbers to win the one Rajya Sabha seat up for grabs but there is apparent resentment among some in the Congress about the candidature of senior party leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi. The BJP has fielded former Congress leader Harsh Mahajan, hoping to cash in on any division within the Congress.

In UP, there are 10 seats and 11 candidates. The BJP has fielded former Union Minister R P N Singh, party general secretary Amarpal Maurya, former minister Sangeeta Balwant, spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi, former MLA Sadhna Singh, former Agra mayor Naveen Jain, former MP Chaudhary Tejveer Singh, and Seth. The SP, meanwhile, has fielded actor-turned-politician Jaya Bachchan, former state chief secretary Alok Ranjan, and Dalit leader Ramji Lal Suman.

The UP Assembly has 403 MLAs but the voting strength