BJP announces 4 candidates for RS polls from Madhya Pradesh, renominating Murugan

The BJP announced four candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections from Madhya Pradesh, renominating Union Minister L Murugan while the Congress also named Ashok Singh on Wednesday from the state.

Former MP Chief Minister Kamal Nath, who was considered the top contender from the Congress for the Upper House of Parliament from the state was not given a ticket in the released list on Wednesday.

The BJP has retained the Minister of State (MoS) for Information and Broadcasting, L Murugan for the second tenure for the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh.

The other three BJP candidates are Umesh Nath Maharaj, who is the head of Balmiki Dham Ashram in Ujjain, Maya Naroliya who is president of the state BJP Women’s wing, and Kisan Morcha national general secretary Bansilal Gurjar.

In the BJP’s list, the flavour of Hindutva, woman empowerment and prioritizing O the backward classes can be seen.

Five Rajya Sabha seats are falling vacant in Madhya Pradesh as the term of the incumbent members is expiring.

Of them, four are with the ruling BJP and one is with the Congress. The last for filing the nomination for the Rajya Sabha polls is scheduled for February 15 and elections will be held on February 27.

In the 230-membered state Assembly, the BJP has 163 MLAs while the Congress has just 66 legislators. As per numbers, the BJP can win four seats for the Upper House comfortably, while one seat can be bagged by the Congress easily.

As per the numbers in the state Assembly, it requires 39 votes to elect one Rajya Sabha MP, and therefore, the BJP will have seven extra MLAs.

If the BJP fields its candidate for the fifth seat also, it would require 32 cross votes from the Congress.

Similarly, the Congress is in the position to win one seat, but if it attempts to go for two seats, it would require 12 cross-votes from the BJP MLAs.

Nath left for Delhi on Wednesday morning to meet the party high command. On Tuesday night, he invited Congress MLAs for dinner at his residence in Bhopal.

Ashok Singh, who is considered a hardcore supporter of former CM Digvijay Singh has contested for Lok Sabha elections successively four times from the Gwalior seat on a Congress ticket but he did not win any election.

Singh’s candidature has fuel the speculations of Nath’s quitting the Congress which are continuing for few days in the political corridors.

Nath has recently made a statement that everyone is free to go anywhere. It is speculated that former CM and senior party leader Nath may quit the grand old party and join hands with the BJP.

The Rajya Sabha polls are necessitated due to the retirement of BJP members Dharmendra Pradhan, Murugan, BJP members Ajay Pratap Singh and Kailash Soni and Congress’ Rajmani Patel from the Upper House of Parliament from Madhya Pradesh.