New Delhi: Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh are scheduled to take place in four to five months. The unofficial bugle for the polls has already been sounded. Before the assembly elections, voting is set to occur for 10 Rajya Sabha seats in the state; the BJP has announced candidates for eight of these seats, while the SP has announced candidates for two.
The victory of all BJP and SP candidates in the Rajya Sabha election is considered certain. Everyone’s focus is on the upcoming assembly elections. CM Yogi Adityanath and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav are currently at loggerheads, exchanging verbal barbs. In this context, Yogi Adityanath stated that the battle is an “80-20” contest.
He further remarked that following the Rajya Sabha election nominations, it has become clear that 80 per cent of the state’s population supports the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), while 20 per cent supports the PDA. Yogi Adityanath’s statement points towards the polarisation of Hindu voters.
Yogi Congratulates PM Modi
CM Yogi Adityanath congratulated Narendra Modi on completing 25 years in public life while highlighting the development work undertaken by the “double-engine” government. Addressing the ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Sabha’ (Developed India Resolve Meeting) organised as part of the ‘Seva Jyoti Yatra’ at Patel Park near the GPO in Lucknow, he launched a scathing attack on the Samajwadi Party (SP), the state’s main opposition.
He said, “Yesterday’s Rajya Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh revealed what the outcome of the assembly elections will be. The 80-20 battle has begun again. 80 per cent of the people are with the NDA, and 20 per cent are with the PDA. You will soon see the fate that awaits the PDA. His remarks came after eight BJP candidates filed their nominations for the 10 Rajya Sabha seats from UP. The SP has fielded only two candidates for this election.
SP Did Not Field a Third Candidate
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had hinted at fielding a third candidate for the Rajya Sabha election but ultimately decided against it at the last moment. The SP has fielded only two candidates. On Tuesday—the final day for filing nominations—Akhilesh Yadav stated that his party’s focus is not on the three Rajya Sabha seats, but rather on the 403 Assembly seats of Uttar Pradesh. Earlier, he had said that his party would field a third candidate if the necessary numbers were secured.
Who has the BJP fielded?
The BJP has fielded eight candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. Given the arithmetic required for victory, the party is poised to successfully get its eighth candidate elected as well. The BJP candidates who filed their nominations on Tuesday include Dharmpal Singh, Prakash Pal, Shruti Gangwar, Vidya Sagar Sonkar, Priyanka Singh Rawat, Radhakant Ojha, Gopi Krishna Pandey, and Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan.
The Samajwadi Party has fielded senior leader Ram Gopal Yadav and Reliance Industries’ Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani. It is now considered almost certain that all ten of these candidates will be elected unopposed.
