Rajya Sabha polls: Smaller parties bask in attention from big players in Uttar Pradesh

Smaller political parties have become much sought after by the two main players – the BJP-led NDA and the SP-led INDIA bloc — for the biennial election to 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. The voting is scheduled for February 27.

These smaller players have come into the picture as the BJP looks to ensure the victory of its eighth candidate despite having the numbers for the win of seven. On the other hand, the SP appears uncertain that its third nominee will make it even as the BJP plans to make a dent in the INDIA bloc to win the eighth seat by engineering cross-voting by opposition MLAs, in a replay of the 2018 biennial election.

As the rival camps brace up for the number game, Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) led by Raghuraj Pratap Singh aka Raja Bhaiya, Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) leader Pallavi Patel, Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) led by Om Prakash Rajbhar as well as the lone BSP MLA Uma Shankar Singh have emerged as key players.

On Tuesday, SP state president Naresh Uttam Patel met Raghuraj Pratap Singh, triggering speculation that his party may support the Samajwadi Party candidates. But on Wednesday, BJP state president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary met Raghuraj Pratap Singh at his residence in Lucknow to seek support for the party candidate.

The Jansatta Dal has two MLAs in the legislative assembly. If the political overtures by Raghuraj Pratap Singh are any indication, his party is likely to support the NDA candidates.

In 2018, Raghuraj Pratap Singh had supported the BJP candidate leading to a rift with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.

Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) leader Pallavi Patel (SP MLA) had threatened to abstain from voting, accusing the SP of deviating from the PDA formula and fielding a film star (Jaya Bachchan) and a former bureaucrat (Alok Ranjan) for the election, instead of OBCs. But she changed her tune on Thursday, stating that she will vote for the party’s Dalit candidate Ramji Lal Suman.

To express solidarity with the NDA, SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar met chief minister Yogi Adityanath with his party MLAs on Thursday.

In a post on X, Rajbhar said, “In a meeting with the chief minister at his official residence - 5 Kalidas Marg -- all the five party MLAs (the sixth MLA Abbas Ansari is in prison) took the decision to ensure the victory of the NDA candidate in the Rajya Sabha election.”

In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly election, the SP had fielded its candidate Abbas Ansari as an SBSP nominee under a seat-sharing agreement with the SBSP but Ansari being in jail has reduced the SP numbers at least by one.

The exit of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) exit from INDIA bloc has also come as a shot in the arm for the BJP.

The shift of the RLD (9 MLAs) not only reduced the INDIA bloc’s strength, but also provided ammunition to the NDA plan to outwit the opposition.

The SP is trying to win over three RLD MLAs who were SP members but contested the 2022 assembly election on the RLD ticket as part of the deal between both the parties.

The lone BSP MLA Umashankar Singh is yet to open his cards. Singh may abstain from the poll or support the NDA candidate, according to people familiar with the matter.

The BJP is also eyeing the disgruntled elements in the SP who can be lured to vote for the BJP’s eighth candidate Sanjay Seth, a businessman who was earlier a member of the Samajwadi Party.

A candidate requires 37 first preference votes to secure a seat in the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh. The NDA has a tally of 286 MLAs. They include BJP 252 MLAs, Apna Dal (S) 13, NISHAD party 6, RLD 9 and 6 SBSP MLAs. The ruling camp is in position to send seven candidates to the Rajya Sabha. Left with 27 extra votes, the BJP requires 10 more votes for the victory for the eighth candidate.

The INDIA bloc includes 108 SP MLAs and two Congress MLAs, taking the total strength to 110. It needs 111 votes to ensure the victory of the three SP candidates.

However, uncertainty looms over two jailed SP MLAs—Ramakant Yadav and Irfan Solanki. If both these MLAs do not get permission to vote, the INDIA bloc will be left with 108 votes.