Nominations for council seats begin today

Even as nominations for four Vidhan Parishad seats begin here on Tuesday, the BJP leadership is yet to give a final shape to its list of candidates.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, his two deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma and two ministers Swatandradev Singh and Mohsin Raza are five contenders for the four Vidhan Parishad seats.

Yogi and his ministers have to become members of either house of the state legislature before completion of six months in office on September 19. As the Election Commission of India is yet to initiate process for the by-election to any assembly or the fifth Vidhan Parishad seat, Yogi will have to drop one of his colleagues who fails to become a member of either house of state legislature before September 19. Another option will be to get a seat of nominated member vacated and nominate the left out member of Yogi ministry as member of the upper house. A senior BJP leader said efforts were being made to ensure that Yogi and his four ministerial colleagues become members of either house of state legislature before September 19. Yogi and Maurya are members of Lok Sabha and have not resigned yet. BJP president Amit Shah though has categorically stated that Maurya will continue to work in the state, the party leadership has the option of shifting him to centre and accommodate him in the union ministry.