No Takers in BJP for this Rajya Sabha Seat Vacated by Former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar

Lucknow: It's a classic case of surplus. The party which had till last year struggled to hold even a single seat of Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh now has a problem of plenty.

With an over whelming majority of 325 in the 403 in the state Vidhan Sabha, the party can send at least 8 out of 10 RS seats up for grab from UP next year.

But there is this one seat which is has fallen vacant after former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and current Goa CM used to represent that no one is interested in.

Parrikar when inducted into the union council was offered a RS seat from UP since no vacancies were available in his home state. Parrikar has now shifted back to Panjim as the Goa CM. Term of this seat ends in November 2020.

No BJP leader wants to enter RS now in a hurry for two and a half years when six months later 8 others seats with an assured six year full term membership would be falling vacant.

So despite Election Commission notification for the RS bypoll for Parrikar’s seat, there is hardly any lobbying from ticket aspirants.

A party insider aptly puts it. “Hopefuls are not interested in for just 2 years in Rajya Sabha. Lobbying is for elections to 10 seats of Rajya sabha from the state, which will go to polls in March next year,” he said.

BJP's state general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak, however, dismisses such reports. He says “Decision about Rajya Sabha candidature is taken by our central parliamentary board. The board will soon take a call and declare the candidate. There is absolutely no reason why our leaders should lobby for this or other elections.”

Sources, however, say that someone from the Centre may could be sent in to occupy the seat vacated by Parrikar. Union Minister of state for tourism K Alphons is doing the rounds in political circles in Lucknow.

The opposition is unlikely to contest the elections for the lone RS berth from UP next month.

Of the 10 seats which will fall vacant later next year, Bthe JP will be in a comfortable position to win at least 8 seats. With 47 Mla Samajwadi party will win just one seat.

For the 10th and the final seat opposition can only be a challenge to BJP if it unites. 19 BSP, 7 Congress, 1 of the RLD, plus the surplus SP votes may help opposition cobble together numbers to stake claim for the remaining one seat. 37 first preference votes are required to win a RS nomination from UP.