Rajnath drifts farther away from UP, may enter RS

Former UP chief minister and BJP general secretary Rajnath Singh is likely to enter the Rajya Sabha, party sources said today.Left with litt...

Former UP chief minister and BJP general secretary Rajnath Singh is likely to enter the Rajya Sabha, party sources said today.

Left with little to do in state politics after the installation of Mayawati as the chief minister, Singh is reportedly not inclined to continue in the Assembly. Though elected leader of the BJP legislature party, he is neither in the Government, nor in the opposition. Since he has already moved over to the central BJP set-up, Singh finds it logical that he shift to Parliament as well, said sources.

Biennial elections are due for 10 Rajya Sabha seats from UP next month. In addition, a by-election has been caused by the resignation of BJP member T.N. Chaturvedi following his appointment as Governor of Karnataka. The BJP members due for retirement are Sunil Shastri, Rajnath Singh ‘‘Surya’’, Shyam Lal and Devi Prasad Singh. Dainik Jagran publisher Narendra Mohan, who was also due for retirement, died recently.

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The BJP, with 89 members, is in a position to get two members elected on its own. A candidate needs 36.6 first-preference votes to win a seat. With some surplus votes in hand, BJP can get the third seat with the help of its allies, including Mayawati.

Another BJP general secretary, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, is the other powerful contender for a Rajya Sabha seat. Shastri, who has been in the House for just six months after a by-election, has a strong case for re-nomination. While Singh is most likely to make it, the tie would be between Naqvi and Shastri.