Following announcement of election for the four Rajya Sabha seats in Gujarat on February 7, 2014 by the State’s chief election officer (CEO), speculation about who would be the candidates from the two major parties — the BJP and the Congress — is rife in the State’s political circles.
Terms of the current Rajya Sabha members Parashotam Rupala, Bharatsinh Parmar and Natuji Thakor from BJP as well as lone Congress MP Alka Kshtriya will end on April 9. If top sources in the BJP and the Congress have to be believed, these four RS members are not likely to be repeated for the second term as in wake of upcoming lok Sabha elections, political parties would like to give chance to new faces.
Knowing that fact, already, aspirants that include some of the top State leaders in both the parties have started lobbying to get ticket. looking to the strengths of MPs and MlAs from the State, BJP is likely to send three RS members and Congress would send one. However, in case of cross voting, the situation may change, but chances are very less as mostly elected members of the State are committed to their respective parties.
Interestingly, Gujarat Congress president Arjun Modhvadia and former leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly Shaktisinh Gohil are said to have evinced interest for RS berth. Both the top leaders were defeated with huge margin in the last Assembly elections in 2012.
In the case of BJP, though aspirants are many but it would be BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, who would take the final call on the names of the BJP candidates. Of the three sitting BJP RS members, only Parmar may be repeated by the Gujarat Chief Minister. Sources in the saffron brigade said one of the candidates for the upcoming RS election would be Modi’s close aide and Uttar Pradesh BJP in-charge Amit Shah.
last date of filing nomination is January 28. Traditionally political parties finalise their candidates on the last day. Hence, the speculation on the probable candidates would come to end only after the Republic Day.