Jethmalani, Mallya, Anand Sharma makes it to Upper House

New Delhi, June 17 (ANI): The prominent candidates who were in the fray for Thursday's Rajya Sabha polls have secured victory with the help of supporting parties.

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) leaders M Venkaih Naidu, Rajeev Pratap Rudy, independent candidate Vijay Mallya, noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani, former Union Minister Oscar Fernandes and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan were among the prominent persons who registered wins in the biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha..

The elections were held for 14 seats-- five seats from Bihar and four seats each form Rajasthan and Karnataka.

In the elections held in Bihar, candidates of the ruling NDA and RJD-LJP combine were set to be elected after independent candidate Uday Garudachar conceded defeat.

With Garudachar, whose presence in the fray necessitated the elections to the five Rajya Sabha seats from the state, conceding defeat, the win in the polls became an easy task for RJD-LJP nominees Paswan and Ramkripal Yadav besides BJP's Rajiv Pratap Rudy and JD(U)'s R C P Singh and Upendra Prasad Kushwaha.

In Rajasthan both the Congress and the BJP managed to bag two seats each.

BJP candidates, Ram Jethmalani, V.P. Singh and congress nominees Anand Sharma, Ashk Ali Tak made it to the upper house in a closely contested election.

However, the Congress-supported Independent nominee Santosh Bagrodia lost.

In Karnataka,Independent candidate Vijay Mallya, former BJP president M Venkaih Naidu, Ayanur Manjunath and Congress nominee former Union Minister Oscar Fernandes made it to the Rajya Sabha.

Congress second candidate T V Maruti lost the election.

Meanwhile, the cross voting by the MLAs also haunted in this election also.

A few MLAs of BJP, RJD and BSP defied their party lines and voted for candidates of their choice during the polling for five seats of Rajya Sabha from Bihar.

Reportedly, out of five MLAs of BSP in Bihar Legislative Assembly, one voted for JD(U) candidate while the other two voted for RJD candidate when the last report came in.

Similarly, one RJD MLA opted to vote for BJP candidate while one BJP MLA also voted in favour of RJD candidate. (ANI)