BJP approves candidates for upcoming Rajya Sabha polls

After the recent spate of elections, the BJP is set to gain four seats in the Upper House – one each in Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura and Nagaland. Credit: AFP Photo

The Bharatiya Janata Party has approved the names of candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Tripura.

The party’s central election committee approved the names of Pabitra Margherita from Assam, Sikandar Kumar from Himachal Pradesh, Manik Saha from Tripura and S Phangnon Konyak from Nagaland on Friday for Rajya Sabha seats. On Saturday, the party also named Rwngwra Narzary, working president of its state ally United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) as the other candidate from Assam.

The tenure of 13 members will be up this year, on April 2. This includes the tenures of Congress MPs Ripun Bora and Ranee Narah from Assam, deputy leader of Opposition Congress MP Anand Sharma from Himachal Pradesh, and from Kerala Congress MP AK Antony, Janata Dal (United) MP MV Shreyams Kumar, and CPIM’s K Somaprasad.

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Naga People’s Front’s KG Konye from Nagaland, CPIM’s Jharna Das from Tripura are set to retire as well. From Punjab, five members, including Congress’s Ambika Soni, Pratap Singh Bajwa, and Shamsher Singh Dullo, as well as Shiromani Akali Dal’s Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Naresh Gujral, and BJP’s Shwait Malik.

The NDA currently has 119 members in the Upper House, and the BJP alone has 97 members. Its allies JD(U) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) have four and five members respectively within the NDA.

Regional parties Asom Gana Parishad, Mizo National Front, National People’s Party, NPF, Pattali Makkal Katchi, Tamil Manila Congress (M), Sikkim Democratic Front, Republican Party of India (Athawale), and Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) have one member each. The NDA also has three nominated members and one independent.

After the recent spate of elections, the BJP is set to gain four seats in the Upper House – one each in Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura and Nagaland. The party’s lone seat in Punjab, however, is set to go after the Aam Aadmi Party’s win in the border state.

Other parties including the Congress and the CPIM have also announced candidates for the elections. The CPI(M), too, has announced the name of former Tripura finance minister Bhanu Lal Saha for the Tripura seat. The Congress, on the other hand, has announced the name of Jebi Mather from Kerala and Ripun Bora from Assam.

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