By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 15 Jan: The election process has begun for the Rajya Sabha poll on one seat from Uttarakhand. This seat is falling vacant in April when the present MP, Anil Baluni, will complete his first term as Rajya Sabha member. The Assembly Secretariat has appointed a returning officer for the upcoming Rajya Sabha poll in the state. It may be recalled that Uttarakhand has currently 3 Rajya Sabha seats and all 3 are currently with the BJP.
One of the three Rajya Sabha seats in the state is falling vacant on 2 April. The tenure of MP Anil Baluni is ending. On the instructions of the Election Commission, the process of election for this seat has been initiated by the Assembly Secretariat. Joint Secretary of State Assembly Chandra Mohan Goswami has been appointed as the Returning Officer for the poll while Assembly Secretary (Officiating) Hem Pant has also appointed other election officers. Mayank Singhal has been nominated as the Assistant Election Officer. Elections will be held in the month of March. Last time, the election was held on this seat on 15 March, six years ago, as the tenure of a Rajya Sabha MP is 6 years.
Although the BJP repeats its Rajya Sabha candidates only in selective cases and usually likes to make changes, it is a fact that Anil Baluni, who is currently the national media in-charge of the party, is considered to be very close to the Party High Command, in general, and to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in particular. He is also considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Hence, according to party insiders, Baluni holds a strong chance to be repeated as the BJP candidate.
With the BJP having a brute majority in the State Assembly and with all the 5 Lok Sabha seats in its fold, a win for the BJP candidate is almost a certainty.
Sources further claim that, in case Anil Baluni is not put up as a candidate for the Rajya Sabha poll, he might be made to contest Lok Sabha poll from the Pauri constituency. Recently, Party President JP Nadda had stated that many of the prominent Rajya Sabha MPs would be asked to contest Lok Sabha polls across the country. Currently, former Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat is the Lok Sabha MP from Pauri
