The BJP leadership will either have to deny tickets to its two existing MPs from Gujarat in Rajya Sabha (RS) or they would require giving ticket from other State in order to continue them as the Members of RS.

This situation arises following reduction of BJP MlAs in Gujarat legislative Assembly. In the last Assembly polls held in December 2017 the ruling BJP could win 99 out of 182 seats compared to 115 seats in 2012 Assembly polls.

Gujarat sends 11 MPs in RS in the House of 245 members. At present nine BJP MPs and two Congress MPs are making representation of the State in the Upper House of the Parliament.

The RS polls will be held on March 23, 2018 to elect 58 members from 16 State including four from Gujarat.

All four poll bound RS seats from Gujarat are currently with BJP as terms of Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who is also leader of the House, Minister of State (MoS) for Agriculture Parshottam Rupala, MoS Chemicals Mansukh Mandaviya and Shanker Vegad are ending on April 2, 2018.

It means BJP think tank will have to take decision over either shifting two of the four existing MPs to other State or deny ticket to at least couple of them.

On the other hand Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Bharatsinh Solanki, former Minister Shanktisinh Gohil and senior Congress leader Dipak Babaria are considered to be front runner for the two seats of RS.

 Sources said that Solanki’s name has almost finalised by the Congress high command and the decision on the remaining seat is yet to be taken.

 Apart from the four MPs whose term is going to end in April this year, BJP’s national president Amit Shah, Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani, religious leader Shambhu Prasad Tundia, lalsinh Vadolia and fishermen community leader Chuni Gohil are current RS members from Gujarat.

Sonia Gandhi’s political advisor Ahmed Patel and former working committee member of All India Congress Committee (AICC) Madhusudan Mistry are only two Congress MPs from Gujarat in RS. However, post assembly polls scenario has been changed as Congress improved its tally from 61 to 77.

If sources in the ruling party have to be believed, Jaitley might be shifted to Uttar Pradesh where BJP’s strength in assembly increased significantly. Mandaviya and Rupala might be repeated from Gujarat said a senior BJP leader requesting anonymity.