Congress’ sole Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, Shaktisinh Gohil, will complete his term on June 21. This will be the first time in 66 years that Congress will not have a Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat.
With elections for four Rajya Sabha seats scheduled on June 18, the ruling BJP is expected to win all four seats due to its overwhelming strength in the Gujarat Assembly. If that happens, Congress will lose its only remaining seat in the Upper House from the state and its representation from Gujarat in the Rajya Sabha will come down to zero for the first time since the state’s formation.
The first Rajya Sabha MPs from Gujarat who were affiliated with the Congress party were nominated in 1960. They included Khemchandbhai Chavda and Suresh J. Desai. Before May 1960, leaders from the Gujarati-speaking regions of the former Bombay State, such as Nanabhai Shah, were elected to the Upper House as representatives of the composite Bombay State.
Gujarat has a total of 11 Rajya Sabha seats. At present, 10 of these seats are held by the BJP, while one seat is held by Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil. Gohil’s term, along with those of BJP MPs Rambhai Mokariya, Narhari Amin and Ramilaben Bara, is ending on June 21. All four leaders were elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2020.
The Election Commission announced the Rajya Sabha elections on June 1. The last date for filing nominations is June 8, scrutiny of nominations will take place on June 9, and candidates can withdraw their nominations until June 11. Voting and counting are scheduled for June 18.
The BJP currently enjoys its highest-ever strength in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly. The party has 161 MLAs, along with the support of two Independent legislators. In comparison, Congress has only 12 MLAs, while the Aam Aadmi Party has five MLAs and the Samajwadi Party has one.
According to election rules, each Rajya Sabha candidate in Gujarat requires the support of at least 46 MLAs if all members are present and vote. A candidate also needs at least 10 MLAs as proposers to enter the contest. While Congress has enough MLAs to propose a candidate, it does not have the numbers required to secure victory. The Aam Aadmi Party does not have enough MLAs even to propose a candidate.
Political observers believe the BJP is comfortably placed to win all four seats. The party has already announced its candidates for the election: Raju Shukla, Mansinh Parmar, Mukesh Rathva and Jitendra Kanzariya.
Congress leaders have acknowledged that the party lacks the numerical strength needed to win a Rajya Sabha seat from Gujarat. However, the party has not yet made a final decision on whether it will field a candidate. Party spokesperson Manish Doshi stated that while Congress does not have the required numbers, no decision has been taken so far regarding participation in the election.
Doshi also argued that the number of representatives is not the only measure of political success. He said what matters more is whether elected members genuinely raise issues affecting Gujarat and represent the interests of the state’s people in Parliament. He pointed to Shaktisinh Gohil’s tenure in the Rajya Sabha, saying he consistently raised matters concerning Gujarat.
If the BJP wins all four seats as expected, it will mark a historic moment in Gujarat politics. For the first time since Gujarat became a separate state in 1960, Congress will have no representation in the Rajya Sabha from the state, highlighting the party’s declining political strength in one of the BJP’s strongest bastions.
Also Read: From The BJP’s Playbook: Topple the Government, Decimate the Party. https://www.vibesofindia.com/from-the-bjps-playbook-topple-the-government-decimate-the-party/
