HP: BJP likely to wrest Rajya Sabha seat from Congress

The ruling BJP in Himachal Pradesh is likely to wrest the Rajya Sabha seat from the opposition Congress, the voting for which will be held on March 26.

One of the three Rajya Sabha seats from Himachal Pradesh will fall vacant as Vipolve Thakur of the Congress will retire from the Upper House of Parliament on April 9.

The other two Rajya Sabha seats from the hill state are being currently represented by BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda and senior Congress leader Anand Sharma.

Nadda will retire from the Rajya Sabha in 2024, whereas Sharma's term will end in 2022.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to conduct the election for this seat along with 54 Rajya Sabha seats of 17 states on March 26.

Rajya Sabha members are elected indirectly as members of the Upper House of Parliament representing the state are elected by MLAs of that state.

The BJP is likely to bag the Rajya Sabha seat as it has a total of 44 MLAs in the 68-member Himachal Pradesh Assembly. Two independent MLAs are supporting the BJP. The opposition Congress has only 21 members, whereas the CPI(M) has one MLA.

The BJP is likely to nominate its former state president Satpal Satti, party sources said.

When contacted, Satti told PTI, "Whatever responsibility the party will assign me, I will carry out that with full dedication."
In reply to a question, he said, "The credit for excellent performance by the party during my tenure as state president goes to the entire leadership and workers."