Today in Politics: RS polls may end in a photo-finish in UP, Himachal, Karnataka; Rahul at Cambridge

All eyes will be on the Rajya Sabha polls in the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and the Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka Tuesday, where altogether three seats are set for a cliffhanger that may involve cross-voting.

The Rajya Sabha MPs are elected by the MLAs in an indirect election through the system of proportional representation. They are mostly foregone conclusions, with elections being held unopposed and all party candidates sailing through. This is because each party knows how much strength they have in terms of the votes of their MLAs and can field the requisite number of candidates as per those numbers.

And that was the case for almost all of the 15 states where the Rajya Sabha seats had fallen vacant. However, the BJP has fielded an extra candidate in UP and Himachal, while its ally JD(S) has done so in Karnataka. This has raised apprehensions of cross-voting.

In Karnataka, the Congress shifted all its MLAs to a hotel. In the fray currently are five candidates to fill four seats — Ajay Maken, Syed Naseer Hussain and G C Chandrasekhar (all Congress), Narayansa Bandage (BJP) and Kupendra Reddy fielded by the JD(S). All parties have issued whips to their respective MLAs.

In UP, the BJP and the principal Opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) have the numbers to send seven and three members to the Upper House respectively, but with the BJP fielding Sanjay Seth as its eighth candidate, a poll thriller for the tenth seat can be expected in the state.

Himachal Pradesh, which is voting for a single Rajya Sabha seat will also see tense scenes. The Opposition BJP’s candidate is Harsh Mahajan, while the Congress has fielded Abhishek Manu Singhvi. The BJP Monday accused the Congress of issuing whip to its members to pressure