Aiming to keep the Brahmins under its fold, the BJP fielded former minister Shiv Pratap Shukla as the candidate for the Rajya Sabha election, nomination of which ends on Tuesday.
An announcement to this effect was made by state BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya. “Four- time MlA and former minister, Shiv Pratap Shukla would be BJP’s candidate for the Rajya Sabha,” Maurya told reporters in lucknow on Monday.
In a complex political equation, where every caste matters, the BJP decided on Shukla to keep the Brahmins in good humour.
After the elevation as state chief of Maurya, a backward, there was murmur in the BJP as he had replaced Dr laxmi Kant Bajpai - an upper caste. In this scenario, selection of Shiv Paratp Shukla was seen as a balancing act.
Maurya also announced candidates for the legislative Council. Bhupendra Chaubey ( president of west zone) and Dayashankar Singh (secretary of the party) would be party nominees even as the party has a comfortable majority to ensure victory for only one candidate
BJP has 41 members in 402 –member UP Assembly. A candidate needs 34 votes to win a Rajya Sabha seat while 29 votes to scale through the legislative Council election.
Answering a query on how the party would muster additional votes if elections were held, Maurya said that the party was working on a strategy. “Just wait and watch. You will get the answer at the right time,” he said.
It is believed that Bhupendra Chaubey would be the first choice for the party legislators. Daya Shanker, who is former president of lucknow University, had unsuccessfully contested the last biennial polls too.
On the sideline, the state BJP president said that the party would sweep 2017 elections. “Our target is to win 265 plus seats and we will achieve it with support of the masses. The BJP is committed to free UP from the SP mis-rule and corruption of BSP. People are eager to see the fall of Akhilesh Yadav government,” he said.
When asked who would be the CM candidate in the next polls, Maurya said that the party’s central leadership will take the call. “Announcement would be made at the right time,” he said.
Meanwhile many SP and BSP leaders joined the BJP. This includes SP MlC Dinesh Singh, former BSP minister Ram Buaal Nishad and former minister of state in BSP regime Sarvesh Ambedkar.
