Lucknow: The elections for the ten Rajya Sabha seats that are to be held on November 9 may turn out to be in favour of Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), political observers feel. All the political parties of the state are gearing up and chalking out their electoral strategies amid the coronavirus pandemic.
According to political observers, BJP is likely to win eight to nine seats in the RS seats and the opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) may win one seat in the election. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Congress's Raj Babbar are among the 11 Rajya Sabha MPs whose tenure is set to expire in November.
The ten Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh falling vacant include three of BJP, four of Samajwadi party, two of Bahujan Samaj Party and one of the Congress. While BJP and Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) are yet to field its candidates, SP has already fielded Ram Gopal Yadav.
State BJP Chief can be sent to RS
The saffron party will by hook or by crook want to retain its assembly seats and will send only 'experienced' candidates to Rajya Sabha who can effectively balance social equations. It is also expected that that party will give preference to the backward communities and they may get maximum nominations. If the party sources are to be believed, UP BJP unit president Swatantradev Singh can also be fielded for the Rajya Sabha poll. Apart from him, the other names which are doing rounds include Arun Singh, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and BJP’s national spokesperson Sambit Patra.
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Focus on Brahmin votes
Not only the lower caste, but the party will also favour the upper caste and try to consolidate Brahmin votes. Though many big leaders are in the queue to grab the party tickets, BJP is likely to favour state unit party President Dr Laxmikant Bajpai. Bajpai's nomination will send a strong message across the Brahmin community and will help the BJP to get upper caste votes. It was during Bajpai’s tenure that the 2014 Lok Sabha elections were held in which the BJP broke all the records of its victory in the State.
Poll experts believe that if the BJP nominates its candidates for even nine seats, then all these seats will go to its kitty. The winning of BJP can be stopped only if all the opposition parties unite which does not seem easy. Congress MLAs from Rae Bareli are already hobnobbing with the ruling party and some of the SP leaders are also not directly opposing BJP.
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The BJP can be stopped from winning the ninth seat only if all opposition parties are united, which is not so easy. They cannot just get united. The Congress MLAs from Rae Bareli are already hobnobbing with the BJP, which is in the public domain. There are also some members of the SP who are not seen openly opposing the BJP. The BSP has not yet opened its card. In such a situation, the BJP’s victory even on the ninth seat is almost certain.
However, the Congress has clearly said that its MLAs will support its party in their fight against BJP in the RS elections. Congress State unit spokesperson Brijendra Singh said that all the members of the Congress will vote in favour of the candidates contesting against the BJP. At the same time, BJP’s state unit spokesperson Hero Vajpayee said, "Our party gives importance to all the castes and we don't indulge in caste-driven politics."
