AMN / New Delhi
The BJP today renominated eight retiring members including seven ministers for the March 23 Rajya Sabha polls.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has been nominated from Uttar Pradesh while Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has been shifted to Madhya Pradesh along with Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot.
Following a poorer show in Gujarat Assembly polls, the BJP decided to shift Finance Minister to Uttar Pradesh for a safer entry into the Rajya Sabha. Jaitley is also the Leader of the Upper House.
According to an announcement made by the BJP general secretary JP Nadda, the party central election committee decided to field Union Ministers Mansukh L Mandaviya and Parshottam Rupala from Gujarat, where each candidate would need at least 38 first preferential votes to make it to the House of Elders.
In December polls, the BJP was able to retain power with only 99 seats as against 77 of the Congress.
Among others whose names figured in the list of BJP candidate for biennial polls include
Union Ministers Thawar Chand Gehlot and Dharmendra Pradhan from Madhya Pradesh, while Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will be the party candidate from Bihar.
From yet another BJP-ruled state of Rajasthan, senior party leader Bhupender Yadav will be the party candidate, while Mr Nadda will be contesting the Rajya Sabha polls from Himachal Pradesh.
BJP is already the single largest party in Rajya Sabha with 58 members- ahead of 54 of Congress- but is still to reach the majority mark. The Congress tally can increase from Gujarat, party sources said amid claims from several leaders including the likes of Shaktisinh Gohil and Arjun Modhwadia.
Samajwadi Party which has 18 members in the Upper House now is expected to be the biggest loser due to its dismal performance in 2017 Assembly polls, while chunk of it would go to the saffron kitty.
The five member strong BSP of Mayawati is also expected to be the loser in the bargain.
The Samajwadi party on Wednesday announced the name of actress turned politician Jaya Bachchan as its nominee depriving another term to its senior leader Naresh Agarwal.
Meanwhile in Odisha, BJD announced the names of A U Singhdeo and Dililp Tirkey for the polls, while the party will also back independent candidate A V Swami.
The notification for the election to the three Rajya Sabha seat was issued by the Odisha Legislative Assembly Secretariat on March 05 last.
As per the notification, filing of nomination papers will commence from the date of notification on March 5 and will continue till March 12.
The nomination papers can be submitted by candidates from 11 AM to 3 PM on any day except public holiday till March 12 next. Scrutiny of papers would be held on March 13 and March 15 is the last date of withdrawal of nomination.