The biennial Rajya Sabha elections held on Monday saw voting for 37 seats across 10 states, with a mix of contests and uncontested victories shaping the outcome. While several candidates secured seats unopposed, polling was conducted for 11 seats, including five in Bihar, four in Odisha, and two in Haryana.

Among the key winners was Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who added another term to his long political career by securing a Rajya Sabha seat.

The elections delivered a setback to the Opposition, particularly in Bihar and Odisha, where candidates backed by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) gained an advantage.

Cross-voting by legislators and the absence of some Opposition members played a crucial role in tilting the balance in favour of the ruling alliance.

Complete list:

StateCandidateParty
BiharNitish KumarJD(U)
BiharNitin NabinBJP
BiharRam Nath ThakurJD(U)
BiharShivesh KumarBJP
BiharUpendra KushwahaRLM
OdishaManmohan SamalBJP
OdishaSujeet KumarBJP
OdishaSantrupt MisraBJD
OdishaDilip RayIndependent
HaryanaSanjay BhatiaBJP
HaryanaKaramvir Singh BoudhCongress

A large number of candidates were elected unopposed across states. From Tamil Nadu, senior AIADMK leader M Thambidurai, PMK’s Anbumani Ramadoss, and DMK leaders Tiruchi Siva and J Constantine Ravindran were among those elected without contest.

Congress leader M Christopher Tilak and DMDK treasurer LK Sudeesh also secured unopposed victories. In West Bengal, four Trinamool Congress nominees — Babul Supriyo, former DGP Rajeev Kumar, Supreme Court lawyer Menaka Guruswamy, and actor Koel Mallick — were elected unopposed. BJP leader Rahul Sinha also secured a seat without facing a contest. Notably, Menaka Guruswamy has become India’s first openly queer Member of Parliament.

Maharashtra witnessed a similar trend, with all seven candidates winning unopposed, including six from the ruling Mahayuti alliance and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar. In Telangana, Congress nominees Abhishek Singhvi and Vem Narender Reddy were elected unopposed.

Meanwhile, in Himachal Pradesh, Congress candidate Anurag Sharma, considered close to Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, emerged victorious.

Overall, the Rajya Sabha elections reflected both political consensus in several states and sharp contestation in others, with the NDA managing to secure a strategic edge over the Opposition.