The stage is set for the 2024 Rajya Sabha elections, scheduled for February 27. With elections scheduled for 56 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) currently holding a majority, faces a stern challenge from the opposition parties.
On Wednesday, seven candidates of BJP, including former Union Minister RPN Singh, former MP Chaudhary Tejveer Singh, state party general secretary Amarpal Maurya, former state minister Sangeeta Balwant, party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi, former MLA Sadhna Singh, and former Agra mayor Naveen Jain, filed their nomination papers in the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Uttar Pradesh.
From the Congress front, former party president and the Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi filed nomination papers for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election from Rajasthan. Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has announced its candidates from West Bengal, including journalist Sagarika Ghose, party leader Sushmita Dev, two-time Rajya Sabha MP Nadimul Haque, and Mamata Bala Thakur.
The Samajwadi Party has nominated former MP Ram Ji Lal Suman, retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Alok Ranjan, and re-nominated Jaya Bachchan for three Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh.
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Of the 56 seats where elections are scheduled, 10 seats are in Uttar Pradesh, six each in Maharashtra and Bihar, five in West Bengal, five in Madhya Pradesh, four in Gujarat, four in Karnataka, three each in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan and Odisha, one in Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
Full list of candidates state-wise:
Bihar
BJP: Dharmsheela Gupta, Bhim Singhjai
Congress: Akhilesh Prasad Singh
Janta Dal United (JDU): Sanjay Kumar Jha
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) : Manoj Kumar Jha, Sanjay Yadav
Gujarat
BJP: J.P. Nadda, Govindbhai Dholakia, Mayankbhai Nayak, Jashvantsinh Salamsinh Parmar
Rajasthan
BJP:Chunnilal Garasiya,Madan Rathore
Chhattisgarh
BJP: Raja Devendra Pratap Singh
Haryana
BJP: Subhash Barala
Karnataka
BJP: Narayana Krishanasa Bhandage
Congress: Ajay Maken, Syed Naseer Hussain, G.C. Chandrasekhar
Uttar Pradesh
BJP: Sudhanshu Trivedi, RPN Singh, Chaudhary Tejveer Singh, Sadhna Singh, Amarpal Maurya, Sangita Balwant, Navin Jain,Sanjay Seth
Samajwadi Party (SP) : Ramjilal Suman,Jaya Bachchan,Alok Ranjan
Uttarakhand
BJP: Mahendra Bhatt
West Bengal
BJP: Samik Bhattacharya
Trinamool Congress (TMC): Sagarika Ghose, Sushmita Dev, Mohammad Nadimul Haque, Mamta Bala Thakur
Madhya Pradesh
BJP: L. Murugan, Umesh Nath Maharaj,Maya Naroliya,Bansilal Gurjar
Congress: Ashok Singh
Himachal Pradesh
Congress: Abhishek Manu Singhvi
Maharashtra
Congress: Chandrakant Handore
BJP: Ashok Chavan, Medha Kulkarni, Ajit Gopchhade
Shiv Sena:Milind Deora
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) : Praful Patel
Odisha
BJP: Ashwini Vaishnaw
Biju Janata Dal (BJD): Debasish Samantry, Subhasish Khuntia
Congress: Debasish Samantry, Subhasish Khuntia
Telangana
Congress: Renuka Chowdhury,Anil Kumar Yadav
Andhra Pradesh
Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) : Golla Babu Rao,YV Subba Reddy,Meda Raghunath Redyy
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The Rajya Sabha election process:
The Rajya Sabha, India’s Upper House, holds elections every two years for one-third of its 245 seats. This intricate process involves indirect voting by elected members of state legislative assemblies and union territories.
In the 2024 Rajya Sabha elections, 56 seats are up for grabs. The current Rajya Sabha composition includes BJP (93 seats), Congress (30 seats), Trinamool Congress (13 seats), Aam Aadmi Party (10 seats), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (10 seats), etc. Additionally, the President nominates 12 members to the Upper House for their contributions in various fields.
Who votes?
Elected members of state legislative assemblies and union territories.
Who stands for election?
Candidates are nominated by political parties based on their strength in the respective state assemblies.
Voting System:
The Single Transferable Vote (STV) system allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference. If a candidate gets enough first-choice votes to win, they’re elected. Otherwise, surplus votes from winning candidates are transferred to lower-ranked choices based on preferences, potentially electing other candidates until all seats are filled. This ensures proportional representation of various parties.
The Rajya Sabha plays a crucial role in the parliamentary democracy, scrutinising bills passed by the Lok Sabha and ensuring their constitutional validity. It’s often referred to as the ‘House of Elders’ due to its members’ longer terms and focus on deliberation and expertise.