The process of biennial election to Rajya Sabha and UP legislative Council would commence from Tuesday after the Election Commission issues a notification in this regard. If needed, polling for the council will be held on June 10 and that for Rajya Sabha on June 11.
The ruling Samajwadi Party was the first to announce seven candidates for the Rajya Sabha and eight candidates for the legislative Council. Its bete noire, the BSP too had announced two candidates for the RS and 3 for the Council. The BJP and the Congress can win one seat each but are yet to announce their candidates.
As per the present party-wise strength in the UP Assembly, the ruling SP can win seven RS and 8 Council seats with 229 members in the 403 member House (including one nominated). But if polls are held, then it would require 16 additional votes for their seventh RS candidate and 19 additional votes for its eighth Council candidate.
For each RS seat, a candidate will need 35 first preference votes to get elected and 31 first preference for winning the Council seat. The BSP would easily win both the RS seats with 10 spare votes while for the Council seats it would have to get 13 additional votes.
The Congress with 29 members in the Assembly is unlikely to announce its candidate for the Rajya Sabha. The SP has announced that the party expects Congress to support its candidate.
With SP support, two Congress leaders Pramod Tewari and Pl Punia were elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2014 and 2015. If Congress fields its candidate for the RS then it will need six additional votes, for the Council seat two additional votes.
Rashtriya lok Dal (RlD) president Ajit Singh is also desperate to make an entry to the Rajya Sabha. His party will need 27 additional votes to win the seat as the party only has eight MlAs in the Assembly. The RlD has announced to support the BSP candidates for the Council. RlD state chief Munna Singh Chauhan however said that his party is yet to decide on contesting the Council and RS polls.
A candidate each of the BJP for Council and RS will easily sail through as the party has 41 members in the Assembly. However, the party will have six spare votes for RS and 10 spare votes for Council.
The BJP is likely to repeat Union minister of state for Minority Welfare Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi for the Rajya Sabha and Hridyanarain Dixit for the legislative Council. The BJP announcement is expected in a day or two.
Sources said that SP candidates will file nominations on May 25 and the BSP candidates would file their papers on May 28.