BJP Drops Two Union Ministers from Rajya Sabha Race Amid Cabinet Reshuffle Speculation
BJP Announces Candidates for Rajya Sabha Polls in Five States
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls in five states, marking a significant shift in the party's organizational landscape. Tarun Chugh, the BJP's national general secretary, has been fielded from Madhya Pradesh, while Satish Poonia will contest from Rajasthan.
The naming of these candidates has sparked intense speculation about a possible Cabinet reshuffle, with the terms of Union ministers Ravneet Singh Bittu and George Kurian ending on June 21. Bittu, a sitting Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan, and Kurian, who represents Madhya Pradesh in the Upper House, were both missing from the BJP's list of candidates.
Their exclusion from the list has fueled political chatter, particularly given the recent assignment of key organizational responsibilities to some serving ministers. Union Ministers of State Harsh Malhotra and Pankaj Chaudhary were recently appointed to head the party's Delhi and Uttar Pradesh units, respectively, signaling a broader political realignment.
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Ravneet Singh Bittu, who joined the BJP after switching sides from the Congress ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, is the grandson of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, who was assassinated in 1995.
The BJP has named the following candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls:
| State | Candidate |
|---|---|
| Madhya Pradesh | Tarun Chugh, Rajneesh Agrawal, and Rajubhai Shukla |
| Rajasthan | Satish Poonia, Alka Gurjar, and Debashish Samantaray (who recently joined the BJP after resigning from the Rajya Sabha from Odisha) |
| Gujarat | Rajubhai Shukla, Mukeshbhai Rathwa, Mansingh Parmar, and Jitendra Meghjibhai Kanzariya |
| Manipur | A Sharda Devi |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Tai Tagak |
The party has opted for a mix of heavy-hitting organizational heads and fresh, younger faces, choosing not to renominate several of its outgoing members. Voting for these seats is scheduled to take place on June 18.
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