The BJP on Friday decided to nominate Union Minister Prakash Javadekar as its nominee for Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh. This seat had fallen vacant after Faggan Singh Kulaste was elected to the lok Sabha. The election is slated for June 19. The party also decided to nominate its sitting MP Prabhar Kore as its Rajya Sabha nominee from Karnataka.
The process of filing nominations for the election to the Council of States has started and the last date is June 9. Javadekar had missed his renomination to the Rajya Sabha from his home State of Maharashtra after the party decided to give the seat to its ally Ramdas Athawale of Republican Party of India (A).
After being sworn-in as Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Environment and Forests (Independent Charge), Javadekar has to be a member of either of the two Houses within a period of six months.
The BJP leadership indicated that another Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman is likely to get a Rajya Sabha berth from Andhra Pradesh. The seat had fallen vacant following the death of N Janardhana Reddy on May 9 but the Election Commission is yet to issue a notification.
The notification is expected to come soon after N Chandrababu Naidu is sworn in as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. The BJP has also decided to field KS Eshwarappa as the party nominee for the State legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad) in Karnataka.