Jaipur, Aug 16 (IANS): With the August 21 deadline to file nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections nearing, speculation are rife that the BJP might field a candidate from outside the state for the coveted post from Rajasthan.
Sources in the state BJP said that the name of Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries, Ravneet Singh Bittu, is doing the rounds for the post.
A former two-time Congress MP from Ludhiana, Ravneet Bittu had switched to the BJP just before the Lok Sabha elections in March this year. The grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister late Beant Singh and the son of ex-Punjab minister Tej Parkash Singh, Ravneet Bittu was a surprise pick in Modi 3.0 after he lost the Lok Sabha elections from Ludhiana on a BJP ticket.
The other names doing the rounds include former state BJP chiefs Satish Poonia and Arun Chaturvedi, ex-leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore, BJP's national General Secretary Alka Gurjar, and former MP C.R. Chaudhary.
However, Ravneet Bittu seems to have emerged as the front-runner for a Rajya Sabha ticket as he needs to be a member of the Parliament since he has made a Union Minister despite losing the Lok Sabha elections, party sources said.
“Rajya Sabha polls will be held for 12 seats in nine states, excluding Punjab. Further, none of the seven RS seats there will become vacant before 2028. So Ravneet Bittu emerges as a strong contender for the Rajya Sabha seat from Rajasthan,” said a source in the state BJP.
Former Rajasthan BJP chief and the party's Haryana in-charge Satish Poonia is next in line for a Rajya Sabha ticket. He led the state unit of the BJP from 2019 to 2023, and was later appointed as the deputy leader of opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly.
On July 5, the party appointed him as the in-charge for Haryana where Assembly elections will be held on October 1. While Poonia lost from Amer in the Assembly elections held in Rajasthan last year, he still enjoys a strong support base in the state.
By sending Poonia, known to be close to the Sangh, to the Rajya Sabha, the party can also consolidate the Jat community and reap benefits in the by-elections scheduled to be held held on 6 Assembly seats in the state. In two of these six seats -- Jhunjhunu and Khinvsar -- Jat voters can play a decisive role.
Veteran leader Alka Gurjar is another name in the queue, while Rajendra Rathore, who won seven Assembly polls but lost the eighth in 2023, is also seen as possible contender keeping the Rajput vote bank in mind.
Similarly, the names of C.R. Chaudhary from the Vasundhara Raje camp, and Brahmin leader Arun Chaturvedi too are doing the rounds.
Given BJP's current strength in Rajasthan, the party's victory in the Rajya Sabha elections is certain. If Congress does not field a candidate, BJP will send its nominee to the Upper House unopposed.
There are 200 Assembly seats in Rajasthan, of which six are vacant. The BJP has 115 MLAs, followed distantly by the Congress at 66, which makes BJP's victory look like a cakewalk.
Rajasthan has 10 Rajya Sabha seats of which five are currently with the Congress, while the BJP has four members leaving one seat vacant.
The BJP Rajya Sabha members from Rajasthan include Rajendra Gehlot, Ghanshyam Tiwari, Chunnilal Garasiya, and Madan Rathore. The Congress is represented by Sonia Gandhi, Neeraj Dangi, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Mukul Wasnik, and Pramod Kumar.