The NDA has won 21 out of 37 Rajya Sabha seats, further cementing the BJP’s hold on the Upper House.

The INDIA bloc has won 13, the BJD 1, and counting was stalled for the two Haryana seats.

Of the 37 seats, 26 MPs were elected unopposed. This included seven from the BJP, one each from its allies Shiv Sena, the Republican Party of India (Athawale), NCP, AIADMK, Pattali Makkal Katchi and the United People’s Party Liberal.

The Congress won five seats unopposed, Trinamool Congress four, the DMK three and NCP(SP) one.

Eleven seats that went to the polls included two in Haryana, five in Bihar and four in Odisha.

In violence- and horse-trading marred poll in Odisha, the BJP won two seats, and an Independent it backed won the third. The BJD retained a single seat. The BJP had enough members to elect two MPs and the BJD one. For the fourth seat, the BJD, Congress and the CPM supported one Independent candidate and the BJP another. Dilip Ray, the BJP-backed candidate, won.

In Bihar, the NDA had the numbers for four seats. The INDIA bloc lost the fifth seat — despite getting the support of the AIMIM and the BSP — after three Congress MLAs and one RJD MLA played truant.

Rajya Sabha elections follow a proportional representation system using a single transferable vote that legislators need to show their party’s polling agents.

After the second preference votes were counted, Bihar Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav told reporters: “The counting has been completed, and as per the rules, the victory of the NDA candidates is confirmed. We knew that we had 35, we were six short of a majority and the NDA was three short. We chose to fight and not grovel or bow before them.”

He added: “If we weren’t betrayed, we would have won because we had gained the six votes needed. Five AIMIM MPs and one friend from the BSP supported us.... We will decide later on the future course of action.”

Former chief minister Nitish Kumar of the JDU and BJP president Nitin Nabin were elected. The BJP and the JDU won two seats each and their ally Rashtriya Lok Morcha won one.

Counting has stalled in Haryana where the Congress and a BJP-backed Independent candidate are locked in a tense contest. The BJP has 48 MLAs and can elect its candidate Sanjay Bhatia. The Congress, with the support of 37 MLAs, can elect its candidate Karamveer Boudh. Former BJP Assembly poll candidate Satish Nandal is in the fray as an Independent, necessitating a contest.

On Monday, polling agents claimed that two Congress MLAs had shown their votes to someone other than the Congress polling agent.

A Congress delegation visited the Election Commission office led by its legal expert and Rajya Sabha member-elect from Telangana, Abhishek Manu Singhvi. The party submitted a complaint by Boudh claiming that returning officer Pankaj Aggarwal had “illegally entertained” complaints about the breach of privacy when no objection was raised at the time of voting.

“In view of the predetermined mindset of the RO, which is totally unjust, the entire record in respect of the aforesaid complaints along with video footage may kindly be requisitioned forthwith for just decision of the case,” Boudh stated in his complaint.