Rajya Sabha polls: BJP fields 11 candidates against 10 UP seats, forces voting on March 23

In a move forcing polling for ten Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today fielded three more candidates - Anil Agarwal, Vidhya Sagar Sonkar and Salil Bishnoi - for March 23 elections.

With these three candidates, the BJP has now fielded a total 11 candidates against ten Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh. Earlier, the party had announced names of eight candidates, including the name Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Besides Jaitley, the BJP has nominated Ashok Bajpai, Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, Sakal Deep Rajbhar, Kanta Kardam, Anil Jain, GVL Narsimha Rao and Harnath Singh Yadav. 

Besides 8 BJP candidates announced earlier, Anil Agarwal, Vidhya Sagar Sonkar and Salil Bishnoi also filed their nomination today.

This has come as a challenge to BSP's Rajya Sabha candidate Bhimrao Ambedkar who was banking on the support of Samajwadi Party and Congress legislators for a win. 

The 10th seat will go to Samajwadi Party which has named sitting MP Jaya Bachchan. 

Today is the last day of filing nomination. The polling and counting of votes for will take place on March 23. The last date of withdrawal is March 15.

The last-minute surprise entry of famous Ghaziabad businessman Anil Agarwal and two other candidates on the last day of filing nomination on Monday is expected to throw some backroom negotiation, hectic political activities and possible cross-polling on the day of the election. 

BJP sources claim that Sonkar and Bishnoi are dummy candidates and they may withdraw on March 15, the last date of withdrawal by candidates. Anil Agarwal will, however, remain in fray as its ninth candidate.

In the 245-member Upper House of Parliament, Uttar Pradesh has 31 seats being the most populous state of the country.

Rajya Sabha polls arithmetic

In the UP Assembly, the BJP and its allies currently have 324 seats (BJP's Noorpur MLA died recently in a road accident). After ensuring the victory of its eight candidates, the BJP still has 28 extra votes for Anil Agarwal. In addition, the party also has the support of three independents, including Kunda MLA  Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya.

It will require six more votes to make its ninth candidate sail through. With Naresh Agarwal, SP's Rajya Sabha MP who switched loyalties today, on BJP's side, next ten days in Lucknow may witness hectic political maneuverings.

Naresh Agarwal has already announced support of his son Nitin Agarwal to BJP candidate while joining the party on Monday. Nitin is a member of UP Assembly from Samajwadi Party from Hardoi. Horse-trading and floor-crossing is not uncommon and the state has witnessed it during Rajya Sabha polls in the past.

The BSP has 19 MLAs in the 403-member UP Assembly. It needs 18 more first preference votes to ensure a smooth sail of its nominee Bhimrao Ambedkar, who has already filed his nomination, for the elections to the Upper House of Parliament.

A former BSP MLA, Ambedkar filed his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha polls on March 7.

He is hoping to win with the help from the Samajwadi Party which has 10 additional first preference votes, the Congress (seven) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (one), will help it get 37 votes required for a win.

"The Samajwadi Party, which will be left with 10 additional votes (after ensuring the election of its candidate Jaya Bachchan) is likely to transfer its surplus votes to the BSP," a senior SP leader said last week. 

The SP, which has 47 MLAs, would be left with 10 surplus first preference votes after backing its candidate Jaya Bachchan and together with seven Congress and one of the RLD, the BSP would be able to get its candidate elected.

The BJP has, however, sent feelers to a couple of Samajwadi Party members, who are annoyed with Akhilesh Yadav and loyal to rebel Shivpal Singh Yadav, through Dr Ashok Bajpai.

The BJP is also eyeing 7 MLAs of the Congress through Naresh Agarwal.

Though there is no threat to the election of Mrs. Bachchan to Rajya Sabha for 4th consecutive term, BSP supremo Mayawati may find it tough for her party candidate to sail through. She had negotiated the support of Samajwadi Party MLAs in lieu of her party’s backing to SP candidates in bypolls on two Lok Sabha Seats.   

On fielding of the ninth candidate, the BJP State President Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey said that party did not want its extra votes to go waste. 

“If the opposition can field a candidate with fewer votes then why can’t the BJP, which has 28 extra votes. Members who want development in the state will support our ninth candidate irrespective of their party affiliations,” said Dr Pandey hinting that a few opposition party MLAs are already in touch with the BJP to extend support.