Lobbying for 2 Rajya Sabha seats in Haryana picks up

Pradeep Sharma

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Chandigarh, May 22

With the last date of May 31 for filing nominations drawing near, lobbying has intensified for the two Rajya Sabha seats in Haryana whose elections are scheduled to be held on June 10.

Political bigwigs, belonging to the BJP-JJP alliance and the Congress, are leaving no stone unturned to lobby for the coveted seats. Given their numerical strength in the Haryana Assembly, one seat each is set to go to the BJP-JJP alliance and the Congress.

The Election Commission recently announced the poll schedule for the two Rajya Sabha being vacated by the BJP’s Dushyant Kumar Gautam and media baron Subhash Chandra on August 1, 2022. While the election notification will be issued on May 24, the last date for filing nominations is May 31. The poll process will be completed by June 13.

Sources said the scene of activity has shifted to New Delhi as the BJP and the Congress high command would have the final say in the selection of the candidates.

Meanwhile, the BJP state executive will meet in Hisar on May 27 and 28 and will deliberate on the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections. In the Congres too, informal consultations are on to zero in on the candidate.

Several senior state BJP leaders, including former ministers, including Ram Bilas Sharma, Capt Abhimanyu, Vipul Goel and Kavita Jain, besides current BJP chief Om Prakash Dhankar and former chief Subhash Barala are in the reckoning for the Rajya Sabha nominations.

The sources, however, claimed that the party high command would take the final call on the candidate. “It is not necessary that the party’s candidate should be from the state, as last time the party high command had picked up Delhi-based leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam for Rajya Sabha seat,” a senior BJP functionary said.

Meanwhile, the junior alliance partner JJP, which had supported the BJP in the last Rajya Sabha elections in 2020, may also stake its claim for one Rajya Sabha seat.

As far as the Congress is concerned, the party high command too would have the final say in the selection of the candidate. The name of former Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja is doing the rounds as the possible Rajya Sabha nominee. However, the faction headed by former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is also trying its level best to get a Rajya Sabha nomination for one of the leaders from its faction.

Numerical strength

One seat each is set to go to the BJP-JJP alliance and the Congress given the numerical strength in Haryana Assembly.

Local vs outsider

It is not necessary that the party’s candidate should be from the state, as last time the party high command had picked up Delhi-based leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam for Rajya Sabha seat. — A senior BJP functionary