JAIPUR: The process of biennial elections to the four Rajya Sabha seats from the state has been set in motion in the state from Tuesday with the issue of notification.
The election is going to be interesting with the decision of BJP to put up a second candidate. In the last Rajya Sabha election, Congress had to shift its MLAs to a resort following a threat from BJP on poaching.
The polls on four seats will be held on June 10. Presently, Congress has 108 seats. Here, 82 votes are required to win two seats. So Congress’ victory on two seats is confirmed. Out of the 108 seats, 82 votes will help win two seats and the Congress will be left with 26 excess votes, which means it can go for the third seat provided it manages 15 more votes. The Rajya Sabha polls require 41 first preference votes.
In such a situation, there are 13 independent MLAs, while one of the Rashtriya Lok Dal is currently in alliance with Congress. The CPI-M and the Bharatiya Tribal Party of India have two votes each. The BTP recently announced its divorce from the state Congress.
So all eyes are on the BJP as to how it is going to cash in on the situation. The saffron party has 71 MLAs and three MLAs of RLP. It could comfortably win one seat, while for the second seat, it is short of at least eight votes.
Deputy leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore announced on Tuesday that the BJP would not allow the second seat to go uncontested. He said that BJP has 30 surplus votes. “How those 30 votes will be used will be revealed when the time comes”. Rathore claimed that the BJP could win the second seat due to the Congress’ tussle.
With BJP’s decision to put up a second candidate, there are chances that MLAs shall once again be taken to hotels to keep their share safe for the party concerned, said sources.
PCC president Govind Singh Dotasra said the party would do everything to win the third seat.
“There is no factionalism in the Congress party. All the MLAs are united under the leadership of the Congress high command and we will win three seats in the Rajya Sabha elections (in Rajasthan),” Dotasra told reporters.
Asked about Congress MLA Ganesh Ghogra, who recently sent his resignation to chief minister Ashok Gehlot after an FIR was registered against him in Dungarpur for creating ruckus, Dotasra said he met the legislator on Monday and has conveyed his grievance to the chief minister.
The election is being held on the four seats vacated by Om Prakash Mathur, K J Alphons, Ramkumar Verma and Harshvardhan Singh, all of BJP.
