BJP nominates Mitra, Tarun Vijay for RS polls

Journalist Chandan Mitra and BJP spokesperson Tarun Vijay were among four candidates nominated on Friday by the party for the Rajya Sabha elections.

Besides Mitra, who was nominated from Madhya Pradesh, and Vijay from Uttarakhand, the BJP named Anil Madhav Dave from Madhya Pradesh and V P Singh from Rajasthan.

The decision was taken in a meeting of the BJP parliamentary board. The names of sitting RS member Najma Heptullah and former MP Hema Malini also came up for discussion but they did not make it to the list. Heptullah's term ends next month.

Sources said they could be accommodated in the next list as party is yet to decide on three seats -- one each in Karnataka, Rajasthan and Orissa.

This will be the second term in the Rajya Sabha for Mitra who was the member of the upper house from August, 2003 to August, 2009.

Dave was elected to the Rajya Sabha in a bypoll last year and the party decided to send him again to the Upper House.

The BJP had plans to nominate former Uttarakhand chief minister B C Khanduri for the Rajya Sabha polls. But since the party enjoys a thin majority in the state assembly, it was decided against sending a sitting MLA to Parliament, sources said.

In Karnataka, Rajasthan and Orissa, BJP does not have sufficient number of legislators and is in talks for alliances and tie ups to ensure the victory of its candidates.

The Parliamentary Board has authorised party chief Nitin Gadkari to decide on the candidates and hold alliance talks with other political parties.

It is learnt that the name of eminent lawyer and former Union Minister Ram Jethmalani, who had recently expressed willingness to join BJP and represent it in Rajya Sabha, also came up for discussion.

But his entry into BJP may cause the party some embarrassment as he has earlier argued in Rajya Sabha that Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's death sentence should be commuted to life imprisonment.