Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday announced the candidatures of Babubhai Jesangbhai Desai (from Gujarat), Kesrivevsinh Zala (from Gujarat) and Ananta Maharaj (from West Bengal) for the forthcoming election to the Rajya Sabha.
Six Rajya Sabha seats from West Bengal will go to the polls on July 24, plus, bypoll will likewise be held in one more seat from the state. One of the Greater Cooch Behar Peoples' Association (GCPA) factions, led by "Maharaj" Ananta Rai, has been calling for the formation of a separate state out of northern West Bengal.
Because of its tea, timber, and tourism industries, north Bengal, which includes Darjeeling and its eight districts, is important to the state's economy.
Since the early 1980s, Gorkhas, Rajbanshis, Kochs, and Kamatapuris have participated in a number of violent statehood movements in the region, which borders Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.
Ananta Maharaj, a candidate for the BJP in the upcoming elections, is from West Bengal.
Dineshchandra Jemalbhai Anavadiya, Lokhandwala Jugalsinh Mathurji, and S Jaishankar will retire on August 18 and contest three Gujarati Rajya Sabha seats. Monday, Jaishankar submitted his nomination papers from Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Congress to not field candidates
Due to a lack of MLAs in Gujarat's 182-member state Assembly, the Congress has stated that it will not field candidates for the Rajya Sabha seats. The BJP won a record 156 seats in the Gujarat Assembly election in 2022. With just 17 seats, the Congress saw its worst performance since the state's formation.
Eight of Gujarat's 11 Rajya Sabha seats are currently held by the BJP, while the remaining seats are held by the Congress.
Sadanand Mhalu-Shet Tanavade was announced as the BJP's Goa candidate on Tuesday. Vinay Tendulkar holds the seat at the moment, and his term will end on July 31.
Tanavade has been in charge of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Goa unit since 2020. Prior to that, he was a member of the Goa legislative assembly from 2002 to 2007.
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