NEW DELHI :  The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday announced its candidates from Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal for the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections. Sudhanshu Trivedi and RPN Singh were nominated from Uttar Pradesh while in Haryana, former state BJP chief Subhash Barala was announced as the party’s candidate.
While, The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Sunday sprung a surprise as it named Delhi-based “The Gin Drinkers” Journalist Sagarika Ghose  as one of its candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections from West Bengal. The other candidates are Sushmita Dev, Mohammad Nadimul Haque, and Matua leader Mamata Bala Thakur. Elections to the five Rajya Sabha seats from West Bengal. Beyond journalism, Sagrika Ghose  is also recognised as an author, having written books like, “The Gin Drinkers”, “Blind Faith” and “Why I Am A Liberal. A Manifesto for Indians Who Believe In Individual Freedom”.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) announced its candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls from West Bengal. “The Gin Drinkers”Journalist Sagarika Ghose, party leader Sushmita Dev, along with Md Nadimul Haque and Mamata Bala Thakur have been named as the TMC’s nominees.
The BJP has nominated Dharmsheela Gupta and Bhim Singh in Bihar,  Raja Devendra Pratap Singh in Chhattisgarh, Narayana Krishanasa Bhandage in Karnataka, Mahendra Bhatt in Uttarakhand, and Samik Bhattacharya in West Bengal. In Uttar Pradesh, the party’s candidates include Sadhna Singh, Amarpal Maurya, Sangita Balwant, and Navin Jain. In Bihar, which has six seats, the BJP, which is again in alliance with Nitish Kumar’s JDU. Notably, Sushil Kumar Modi’s name is missing in this list.
RPN Singh, a former Congress leader who crossed over to the BJP in 2022, has been nominated from Uttar Pradesh. Others names from UP are: Sudhanshu Trivedi, Chaudhary Tejveer Singh, Sadhna Singh, Amarpal Maurya, Sangita Balwant and Navin Jain. The state has the highest number of vacancies of 10 seats.
A fine balance of castes reflects in the UP list with Kurmi, Brahmin, Nishad, Jain, Rajput, Maurya, Jat being represented. None of the Union ministers, whose terms are coming to an end, were named in the list amid a strong possibility that many of them will contest the Lok Sabha polls.
Earlier in the day, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) announced its candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls from West Bengal. Journalist Sagarika Ghose, party leader Sushmita Dev, along with Md Nadimul Haque and Mamata Bala Thakur have been named as the TMC’s nominees. Notably, Mamata Bala Thakur’s nomination has drawn considerable attention. Thakur, a former Lok Sabha MP and a prominent Matua leader, faces BJP’s Shantanu Thakur, a relative, in the Matua-dominated Bongaon constituency. Her nomination occurs amidst BJP’s efforts to woo the Matua community with promises regarding the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
The upcoming Rajya Sabha elections are poised to be a crucial battleground for political parties, with each vying to secure a strong representation in the upper house of the Parliament. Among those retiring are 28 MPs from the BJP, 11 from Congress, four from Trinamool Congress, four from Bharat Rashtra Samithi, two each from Biju Janata Dal, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Janata Dal (United), and one each from YSRCP, Shiv Sena, NCP, Telugu Desam Party, and Sikkim Democratic Front.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)  on Sunday released its list of candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections which are scheduled to take place on February 27. The votes for the 56 seats spread across 15 states will be counted the same day.  In Bihar, which has six seats, the BJP, which is again in alliance with Nitish Kumar’s JDU, has named Dharmsheela Gupta and Bhim Singh. Notably, Sushil Kumar Modi’s name is missing in this list.
In Chhattisgarh, where the BJP handed Congress a shock defeat in the recently held state polls, it has named Raja Devendra Pratap Singh.In Haryana the party will field its former state chief Subhash Barala; while in Karnataka, it is Narayana Krishanasa Bhandage.In Uttarakhand, the BJP will field Mahendra Bhatt; while in Bengal, the party will field Samik Bhattacharya.
Fifty eight Rajya Sabha members, including eight Central Ministers, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and BJP chief JP Nadda, will retire by the first week of May. Twelve members are nominated by the president. As per the Fourth Schedule to the Constitution of India on 26 January 1950, the Rajya Sabha was to consist of 216 members, of which 12 members were to be nominated by the president and the remaining 204 elected to represent the states.

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us

Save