Ravneet Bittu emerging front-runner as BJP's Rajya Sabha pick from Rajasthan

Jaipur, August 16

With the August 21 deadline to file nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections nearing, speculation is rife that the BJP might field a candidate from outside the state for the coveted post from Rajasthan.

Sources in the state BJP said the name of Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries, Ravneet Singh Bittu, is doing the rounds for the post.

A former two-time Congress MP from Ludhiana, Ravneet Bittu had switched to the BJP just before the Lok Sabha elections in March this year. The grandson of former Punjab chief minister late Beant Singh and the son of ex-Punjab minister Tej Parkash Singh, Ravneet Bittu was a surprise pick in Modi 3.0 after he lost the Lok Sabha elections from Ludhiana on a BJP ticket.

The other names doing the rounds include former state BJP chiefs Satish Poonia and Arun Chaturvedi, ex-leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore, BJP's national general secretary Alka Gurjar, and former MP C.R. Chaudhary.

However, Ravneet Bittu seems to be emerging as the front-runner for a Rajya Sabha ticket as he needs to become a member of Parliament since he has been made a Union Minister despite losing the Lok Sabha election, party sources said.

“Rajya Sabha polls will be held for 12 seats in nine states, excluding Punjab. Further, none of the seven RS seats there will become vacant before 2028. So Ravneet Bittu emerges as a strong contender for the Rajya Sabha seat from Rajasthan,” said a source in the state BJP.