New Delhi: The BJP on Wednesday released a list of nine candidates for the upcoming elections to the Rajya Sabha to be held in six different states. Five of the six states, for which candidates have been announced, have BJP governments while the sixth has a BJP alliance in power.
Among the big names that feature on the list is that of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Jaitley is currently a Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, where he was elected to the Upper House in April 2012. His term ends next month and instead of seeking re-election from Gujarat, he will be nominated from Uttar Pradesh.
Another big name who will be shifted from his current state is union minister Dharmendra Pradhan. A Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar since 2012, he will now contest from Madhya Pradesh.
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad is set to get another term as Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar. Senior BJP leader Bhupendra Yadav will also be repeated as a Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan. Thawar Chand Gehlot (Madhya Pradesh), Mansukh Mandaviya (Gujarat), Parshottam Rupala (Gujarat) and Jagat Prakash Nadda (Himachal Pradesh) will all get another term as the Rajya Sabha MPs from their current respective states. Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, who is currently a Rajya Sabha MP from Madhya Pradesh, will now contest Rajya Sabha elections from the state of Maharashtra.
Of all the states, the highest number of seats will be up for grabs in Uttar Pradesh. Ten seats from Uttar Pradesh will be vacant in 2018 and the BJP will be in a comfortable position. A candidate from UP will require the support of 37 MLAs. With 325 MLAs in 403-member assembly, BJP is assured of at least 8 seats.
The Samajwadi Party, with its 47 MLAs will be able to send a single member to the Upper House. However, if the factionalism within the SP threatens to divide votes, the SP faces the risk of losing that position. It may then require the help of its alliance partner Congress, which has seven MLAs.
The Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party, which has 19 MLAs, will not be in a position to elect even a single MLA, even if they were to join forces. In that eventuality, the BJP will walk away with 9 of the 10 vacant seats. However, if the Congress, BSP and both factions of the SP were to come together, they will be able to elect one more combined member to the Rajya Sabha, reducing the BJP to 8 MPs.
Actor-turned-politician Jaya Bachchan’s name has cropped up as the SP nominee for the Rajya Sabha. The BSP has already declared that a former MLA of the party, Bhimrao Ambedkar, as their nominee for the Rajya Sabha. Hailing from Etawah, Ambedkar, who shares his name with the Dalit idol, represented Lakhna Assembly constituency.
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