Rajya Sabha elections: BJP fields Vaishnaw from Odisha; BJD extends support

The Bharatiya Janata Party has released names of four candidates for Madhya Pradesh and one for Odisha for Rajya Sabha biennial elections, slated for February 27

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has unveiled its list of candidates for the upcoming biennial Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. Among the nominees, the ruling party has renominated Ashwini Vaishnaw for Odisha and Dr L Murugan for Madhya Pradesh, among three other candidates.

Vaishnaw, whose term in Rajya Sabha will conclude in May has been renominated for this post in Odisha where Biju Janata Dal (BJD) holds majority. Interestingly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik as his "mitra" (friend) during the inauguration of the IIM Sambalpur campus earlier this month, hinting at a possible alliance between the two parties. After the release of BJP's candidate list, BJD extended their support of Vaishnaw, "for the larger interest of State's Railways and Telecom Development".

In Madhya Pradesh, the candidate list also includes Umesh Nath Maharaj, Maya Naroliya, and Bansilal Gurjar. Notably absent from the list is current Rajya Sabha MP and Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan. His exclusion marks the third instance of a minister being denied a Rajya Sabha ticket, following Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Bhupendra Yadav. Speculation has arisen that Pradhan may contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2024, having previously served as a member of the 14th Lok Sabha.

Previously, the BJP had announced its candidates from various states, including Rajasthan, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal for the Rajya Sabha Biennial Elections.

In Rajasthan, Chunnilal Garasiya and Madan Rathore will be contesting the elections from BJP, from where Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has also filed her nomination for Rajya Sabha elections.

A total of 58 Rajya Sabha members — including eight union ministers, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and BJP national President JP Nadda — will retire by the first week of May this year.

The retirement of several MPs, including union ministers and prominent leaders such as Manmohan Singh and JP Nadda, by the first week of May this year will reshape the composition of the Rajya Sabha. Among those retiring, 28 are from the BJP, 11 from the Congress, four from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), four from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), two each from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Janata Dal (United) (JDU), and one each from the YSRCP, the Shiv Sena, the NCP, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and Sikkim Democratic Front.

Currently, the Rajya Sabha comprises 239 members, with the BJP holding the largest share of 93 seats, followed by the Congress with 30 seats.

The Rajya Sabha biennial elections are set to take place on February 27.

(With agency inputs)