Diggy, Scindia lobby hard; BJP may nominate Shivraj, Raman
Biennial polls for three Rajya Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh and two RS seats in Chhattisgarh are going to be held on March 26 this year.
The biennial polls in MP necessitated following expiring of terms of three sitting MPs, Prabhat Jha, Satyanarayan Jatia (both of BJP) and Digvijay Singh (Congress), in the Upper House on April 9 this year.
Similarly, the biennial elections in Chhattisgarh necessitated following expiry of terms of sitting MPs, Ranveer Singh Judeo (BJP) and Motilal Vohra (Congress), in April this year. While ruling Congress and Opposition BJP in MP are in a position to send one candidate each to the RS in the ensuing biennial polls as per their strengths in the state assembly, the third vacant seat may go to elections. Several veteran leaders from Congress and BJP have been lobbying with their respective central leaderships. Prominent among those in Congress who have been vying for RS ticket in the ensuing biennial polls in the state are former chief minister Digvijay Singh, AICC general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia, former MP Pradesh Congress Committee president Arun Yadav and former Congress Legislature Party leader Ajey Singh.
Mr Singh and Mr Scindia have lost last Lok Sabha polls from their respective seats of Bhopal and Guna in MP and hence are desperately trying to go to the Upper House to revive their political career.
In Chhattisgarh, the former AICC treasurer Mr Vohra was lobbying hard to retain RS seat in the ensuing biennial elections in the state.
Ruling Congress which has decimated BJP in the 2018 Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh is in a position to win the two RS seats going for polls.
Other Congress leader who has been lobbying to get ticket from Chhattisgarh is Karuna Shukla, niece of former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel has requested AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi to go to RS from Chhattisgarh.
Speculations are rife in BJP circles in MP and Chhattisgarh that former chief ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Raman Singh may be asked by the Central leadership of the party to contest in the biennial elections in these states to go to RS to shift to Central politics.