Uttar Pradesh: BJP mulls over names for Rajya Sabha polls amid speculation of contest
Hindustan TimesHectic consultations and lobbying were underway in the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the announcement of candidates for the June 10 Rajya Sabha polls to fill up 11 vacancies from Uttar Pradesh. The BJP strategists are keeping an eye on if the main opposition Samajwadi Party would like to force a contest by fielding four candidates, while being sure of an outright win of only three of the SP nominees for the Rajya Sabha polls. In 2018, during a Rajya Sabha poll in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP had demonstrated how they had astutely calculated even a fraction of second preference votes and allotted votes strategically to ensure a win of its ninth candidate and defeated a joint opposition,” said Athar Siddiqui from the Centre for Objective Research and Development. In 2016, the BJP had forced a contest by backing an independent candidate apparently in a bid to stop the Congress candidate from winning the Rajya Sabha polls. In 2018, the BJP again embarrassed a joint opposition bid by getting its ninth candidate elected to the Rajya Sabha by cleverly allotting votes and calculating a fraction of second preference votes.