With two Rajya Sabha seats from Haryana falling vacant on April 9, the ruling BJP has begun exploring caste and community combinations ahead of the elections, which are likely to be held in March.
BJP political coup again?
Though the numbers clearly indicate that the BJP and the Congress are likely to get one Rajya Sabha seat each, speculation is rife over whether the ruling party could once again engineer a political coup, as it did earlier by sending “Independent” media barons Subhash Chandra and Kartikeya Sharma to the Upper House.
To pull off such a feat, the BJP would need the support of six to seven Congress MLAs, a task that would not be easy but is not being ruled out by political observers.
BJP can spring a surprise
If no consensus emerges on any heavyweight leader, the BJP could spring a surprise nomination, replicating its December 2024 move when Rekha Sharma was fielded. Several new faces, including national spokesperson and media adviser to Chief Minister Rajeev Jaitly, are being seen as potential dark horses.
As per the legislative arithmetic, both the BJP and the Opposition Congress are expected to secure one seat each, with 31 MLAs required to win an election. The BJP has 48 legislators of its own besides the support of three Independents, while the Congress has 37 MLAs. The INLD has two MLAs in the 90-member Assembly.
The two seats are being vacated following the retirement of Kiran Chaudhry and Ram Chander Jangra. At present, the BJP holds all five Rajya Sabha seats from Haryana. While Chaudhry belongs to the Jat community, Jangra represents the OBCs. The other BJP MPs are Rekha Sharma, Kartikeya Sharma (a BJP-supported Independent from the Brahmin community) and Subhash Barala (Jat).
Among the Jat probables, party insiders told ‘The Tribune’ that former minister and ex-state BJP chief OP Dhankar and former minister JP Dalal are in contention. Chaudhry, too, is making efforts to secure a full six-year term, having got less than two years in the Upper House.
From the Brahmin community, state BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli and party veteran Ram Bilas Sharma are in the race, even though the community is already represented by two MPs in the Rajya Sabha. Sources said if Badoli does not get another term as the BJP chief, he could be “rehabilitated” in the Upper House.
The party is also weighing the claim of the Dalit community, which currently has no representation in the Rajya Sabha from Haryana. Former MP Sunita Duggal and ex-minister Banwari Lal are emerging as the frontrunners.
From the Punjabi community, the names of former Karnal MP Sanjay Bhatia and former minister Manish Grover are doing the rounds. Both leaders are known to share a good rapport with Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, the BJP’s prominent Punjabi face.
The name of Kuldeep Bishnoi, a non-Jat leader and son of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal, has also been circulating for a Rajya Sabha berth for quite some time. It remains to be seen whether the party is inclined to rehabilitate a political turncoat and dynast or place its bet on a home-grown leader.
In the absence of a consensus on any senior political figure, the BJP could once again spring a surprise, as it did in December 2024 by nominating Rekha Sharma. Several new faces, including national spokesperson and media adviser to the Chief Minister Rajeev Jaitly, could fit the bill in such a scenario.