India, March 17 -- The Opposition suffered setbacks in Odisha and Bihar during the Rajya Sabha polls on Monday, as candidates backed by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) benefited from cross-voting and lawmakers not showing up, while the contest in Haryana went down to the wire.

In all, 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states were up for grabs. Anti-defection laws don't apply to Upper House polls.

In Odisha, the voting unfolded amid a series of twists, including cross-voting, allegations of horse trading, a brief disruption over a disputed ballot, and a tightly fought contest that was eventually decided by second-preference votes. In the end, the BJP won two seats, and an independent candidate backed by the party won a third, leaving...