The Uyghur community in The Hague, Netherlands, held a demonstration against the atrocities being committed in East Turkistan by China.
In a crucial electoral face-off, Tuesday’s Rajya Sabha polls are set to witness heightened competition for three seats in two Congress-ruled states and one in Uttar Pradesh.
Amid apprehensions of cross-voting in Karnataka, the ruling Congress has proactively moved its MLAs to a designated “safe house” to protect them from potential external influences, while in Himachal Pradesh, it has issued a whip to its MLAs for the election on its solitary Rajya Sabha seat.
Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party (SP), the main opposition force in Uttar Pradesh, appears confident that there is no dissent within its ranks. However, sources say at least 10 SP MLAs are ready to cross-vote. To secure victory, a candidate needs nearly 37 first preference votes.
Although the ruling BJP and the SP possess sufficient numbers for the unopposed election of seven and three members, respectively, to the Rajya Sabha, the BJP has introduced a twist by nominating Sanjay Seth, a former SP member and industrialist, as its eighth candidate.
The SP has fielded actor-MP Jaya Bachchan, retired IAS officer Alok Ranjan, and Dalit leader Ramji Lal Suman. However, this decision has seemingly distanced its ally, Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) leader Pallavi Patel, who declared her intention not to vote, citing disagreement with the choice of Bachchan and Ranjan.
In Karnataka, where the Congress initially anticipated smooth sailing for its four candidates in three seats, the BJP-Janata Dal Secular (JD(S)) alliance complicated matters by introducing a second candidate. If there are four candidates, each would need 45 votes to win, and if more, preference votes come into play.
With 134 MLAs, the Congress, along with support from two Independents and Darshan Puttanaiah from Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha, expresses confidence in securing victory in three seats. The BJP holds 66 seats, and the JD(S) has 19, while four seats are attributed to others.
All political parties have issued whips to their MLAs ahead of the crucial election scheduled for tomorrow. The voting will take place on 56 Rajya Sabha seats across 15 states from 9 am to 4 pm, with counting set to commence at 5 pm, and results expected later in the evening.