BJP's Nishad files nomination for Rajya Sabha bypolls in Uttar Pradesh

BJP candidate Jai Prakash Nishad on Thursday filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha by-election from Uttar Pradesh and is set to win, given his party's overwhelming majority in the Assembly.

The by-election is scheduled to be held on August 24.

The poll was necessitated following the demise of Samajwadi Party MP Beni Prasad Verma.

"Jai Prakash Nishad has filed his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha bypoll. Till now, he is the only candidate to file his nomination papers. Thursday is also the last date for filing nominations," Election Officer Brij Bhushan Dubey told PTI.

He said scrutiny of nomination papers will be done on August 14, while August 17 is the last date for withdrawal of candidature. Polling, if necessary, will be held on August 24 from 9 am to 4 pm. Counting of votes will also be held on the same day, Dubey said.

Nishad's victory is a foregone conclusion, going by the overwhelming majority the BJP enjoys in the 403-member Assembly.

Nishad is a former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA who joined the BJP a few years ago.

At present, the BJP has 306 MLAs, followed by the Samajwadi Party 48.

The BSP has 18 MLAs, while Apna Dal (Sonelal), an ally of the BJP, has nine MLAs.

The Congress has seven MLAs and the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party has four. There are three Independent MLAs in the House. Rashtriya Lok Dal and Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Apna Dal has one MLA each in the Assembly.

The poll was necessitated following the demise of Samajwadi Party MP Beni Prasad Verma. His tenure was till July 4, 2022.

According to the Rajya Sabha website, two of the 31 Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh are vacant.

At present, there are 15 BJP Rajya Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh, followed by eight of the Samajwadi Party, four of the Bahujan Samaj Party and two from the Congress.