INFO:

Eight of the 19 Rajya Sabha seats up for vote in the biennial election held in eight states on Friday went to the BJP while the Congress won four. The BJP scooped up three seats in Gujarat, two in Madhya Pradesh and one in Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Manipur each. The Congress, meanwhile, took home two seats in Rajasthan and one in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat each. The build-up to the elections was marked by a resurgence of resort politics, resignations, switching sides and allegations of bribery. Despite the gains on Friday, the BJP remains short of a majority in the Rajya Sabha, crucial to pilot its bills through the upper house.