BJP Gains Advantage Ahead of Rajya Sabha Elections

The Bharatiya Janata Party has geared up for the June 18 elections for 26 Rajya Sabha seats. The BJP has made moves in Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh that have caught the Congress off guard. The Congress has suffered a setback in Madhya Pradesh ahead of the polls. The party nominated Meenakshi Natarajan from here. But on Tuesday, June 9, Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination was rejected on charges of concealing information about a case. In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP has already fielded a third candidate. Apart from Tarun Chugh and Rajneesh Agrawal, Mahesh Kewat have also filed nominations on behalf of the BJP. After the cancellation of Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination, the BJP can now win a third seat. The fight in the Rajya Sabha seats coming from Jharkhand is going to be even more interesting. Here, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha led by Hemant Soren has nominated Ram Baidyanath, a Dalit face. The Congress has fielded Pranav Jha. But, the BJP has supported Parimal Nath, an independent, and the JMM needs 56 votes to win the two seats. The BJP has only two MLAs in Jharkhand.