The forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections for 24 seats across 10 states, scheduled to be held on June 18, are set to witness interesting contests in Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Karnataka.
For the Upper House polls, the BJP nominated Mahesh Kewat from Madhya Pradesh and M Nagaraja from Karnataka. Both names were approved by the party’s Central Election Committee virtually at the eleventh hour on the evening of June 7, a day before the last date for filing nominations, which was Monday.
In Karnataka, the BJP had two MPs and the JD(S) one retiring later this month, including former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, while the Congress had one member retiring. With the Congress enjoying numerical superiority in the state Assembly, it is expected to win three seats, leaving one for the Opposition.
The Congress has fielded its president Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC Secretary Mansoor Ali Khan and media and publicity department chairperson Pawan Khera as candidates.
With the BJP fielding Nagaraja, it has signalled the end of the road for Deve Gowda, as the JD(S) did not field any candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls.
In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP has fielded Tarun Chugh and Rajneesh Agrawal, while the Congress has nominated former Lok Sabha MP Meenakshi Natarajan.
However, Kewat’s entry has added a new dimension to the contest, with the BJP hoping to capitalise on possible cross-voting from the Congress camp owing to internal opposition to Natarajan’s candidature and attempting to win a third seat. Based on the current Assembly strength, the BJP is expected to win two seats and the Congress one.
Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh is the retiring Rajya Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh.
In Jharkhand, two Rajya Sabha seats are up for grabs. One seat fell vacant following the death of JMM co-founder Shibu Soren, while the term of BJP member Deepak Prakash ends on June 21.
The contest in Jharkhand has become more interesting after industrialist and sitting Independent Rajya Sabha member Parimal Nathwani filed his nomination on Monday. Nathwani met leaders of both the BJP and the ruling JMM before filing his papers.
His entry has complicated the race as the JMM, after initial differences, decided to field only one candidate for the two available seats, while its ally Congress announced Pranav Jha as its candidate for the other seat.
The JMM has nominated senior leader and Latehar MLA Baidyanath Ram for one of the two Rajya Sabha seats.
