Rajya Sabha elections: Several senior BJP leaders and outgoing Rajya Sabha MPs, including seven Union Ministers like Dharmendra Pradhan and Bhupender Yadav, have not been renominated by the party for the biennial Rajya Sabha elections. There are indications that many of them may contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections instead.
The ruling party has nominated 28 candidates for the elections to 56 seats, emphasizing the BJP's commitment to acknowledging its grassroots organization workers, who may not be widely recognized in external political circles. This move also takes into account social equations.
Three of the new candidates - Dharmshila Gupta from Bihar, Medha Kulkarni from Maharashtra, and Maya Naroliya from Madhya Pradesh - are affiliated with the party's 'Mahila Morcha' (women's wing). This aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's repeated emphasis on the BJP's strong support among women voters.
4 BJP MPs renominated
Among the 28 outgoing MPs, the BJP has renominated only four, including its president J P Nadda, two Union ministers, and the articulate national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi. This move sends a strong signal that Rajya Sabha members cannot take their high-profile positions for granted. They are expected to utilize the platform to connect with the masses and cultivate their own constituencies.
The renominated ministers are Ashwini Vaishnaw and L Murugan. Notably, no outgoing Rajya Sabha member of the BJP who has served two or more terms has been repeated, except Nadda, who is set for a third term.
It's worth mentioning that none of the party's national office-bearers is among the 28 soon-to-be Rajya Sabha MPs. Instead, many lower-profile state organizational leaders have been selected.
"I will call it decentralisation and democratisation of the selection process. The visibility that comes with moving around in political circles in Delhi or comments to the media makes no difference to the current national leadership," a senior party leader said.
BJP MPs who have not been renominated
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Mansukh Mandaviya, Parshottam Rupala, Narayan Rane, and V Muraleedharan are five other ministers whose term is ending in the Upper House and who have not been renominated by the BJP.
Other senior leaders who have not been renominated include the party's chief spokesperson and media head Anil Baluni, former Union minister Prakash Javadekar, and former Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi. There is speculation within the party's circles that several of them could be probable candidates for the Lok Sabha elections expected to be held in April-May.
Rajya Sabha elections
The Election Commission announced the date for 56 Rajya Sabha seats in 15 states. The elections will take place on February 27 and the votes will be counted on the same day. The term of office of 56 members are due to expire on their retirement in April 2024.
According to the Election Commission's letter, nominations will start from February 8. The last date for nomination for Rajya Sabha elections is February 15. Scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on February 16. The last date for withdrawal of nominations has been kept as February 20. Voting will take place on February 27 between 9 am and 4 pm and counting of votes will take place on the same day at 5 pm.
Number of seats on which elections will be held in the 15 states:
Andhra Pradesh: 3, Bihar: 6, Chhattisgarh: 1, Gujarat: 4, Haryana: 1, Himachal Pradesh: 1, Karnataka: 4, Madhya Pradesh: 5, Maharashtra: 6, Telangana: 3, Uttar Pradesh: 10, Uttarakhand: 1, West Bengal: 5, Odisha: 3, and Rajasthan: 3.
As of the current composition of the Rajya Sabha, there are 238 elected representatives. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) holds the highest number of seats with 93, followed by the Congress party with 30 seats. Other significant parties include the Trinamool Congress (TMC) with 13 seats, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with 10 seats, and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) with 10 seats, among others.
(With PTI inputs)
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