The upcoming Rajya Sabha elections and then the biennial polls for 12 seats of the Upper House of the Uttar Pradesh legislature has started making new political equations in the State with the possibility of bonding among old friends.
Of the 10 Rajya Sabha members, whose term ends on November 25, BSP has six candidates, SP has two and BJP has one. One member was jointly supported by the SP and the Congress. Amar Singh is among the two SP members whose term would end while another being his critic Ram Gopal Yadav. The elections are slated sometime in October last or November first week.
With 224 MlAs in the State Vidhan Sabha, SP would get to choose six MPs, while BSP, which has 80 legislators, would have to content with two members. With 47 MlAs, the BJP could send one entry, while the Congress, with just 28 MlAs, does not have enough number under its belt but can tie up with RlD, (8 MlAs), and send one member to the Rajya Sabha.
According to SP sources, thaw in relations between Amar Singh and Mulayam Singh Yadav could ensure Singh’s entry into the RS. Similarly, a senior Congress leader, who had left the party before 2009 lok Sabha elections, was also expected to re-join the Samajwadi Party very soon, sources said.
Other probable candidates for the SP in the RS polls would be Ram Gopal Yadav and a Muslim face. While the SP is looking to use its dominant position to choose faces which can be of use when the party goes to the Assembly elections in 2017, the BSP, which could not win even a single seat in the recent lok Sabha election, finds going tough.
BSP sources said party vice-president Raja Ram, who is currently in-charge of three states, is one of the most likely candidates. Party chief Mayawati is still in the process of taking a decision on the second candidate.
Sources said the present RS members from BSP Brijesh Pathak who lost lok Sabha election from Unnao might not get a re-look. On the other hand to ensure his entry to the Rajya Sabha, Akhilesh Das is reportedly in touch with Congress, which has 28 out of 35 required votes. Das was earlier with the Congress and is presently the president of the Badminton Association of India (BAI).
Also, Rashtriya lok Dal chief Ajit Singh, who along with his son Jayant lost lok Sabha election, has reportedly approached Congress, seeking support to become a Rajya Sabha MP. RlD state president Munna Singh Chauhan said that the party would demand the RS seat from Congress and could leave the Council seat for the Congress, the vise-versa done last time.
Amid all this, BJP, which gets to elect one member, is re-considering repeating Kusum Rai. However, with a government at the Centre and too many claimants, party sources said leadership has plenty of time to choose their Rajya Sabha candidate.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh will also witness biennial elections to 12 seats of Uttar Pradesh legislative Council from the Assembly constituency by early next year. Term of these 12 members would expire on January 30 next year and among the prominent whose terms expire are SP leader of the House and state medical health minister Ahmed Hassan and leader of the opposition and BJP member Nasimuddin Siddiqui. Of the total members who would retire six are from BSP, 3 of SP, two of BJP and one of RlD.