LUCKNOW: The Election Commission of India on Wednesday announced the poll schedule for the 12 UP legislative council seats which would fall vacant on January 31.
The Election Commission will issue the notification for filing of nominations on January 11 and candidates can file their papers by January 18. The polling, if required, would be held on January 28 amid Covid-19 curbs and the results would be declared the same day.
Of the total 12 seats which are falling vacant includes the seat of council chairman Ramesh Yadav whose tenure is coming to an end on January 31. Six legislators of SP, two of BSP and three of BJP will also retire this month.
Prominent MLCs whose term is ending this month are leader of opposition and SP leader Ahmad Hasan, deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma and UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh. Given the strength of UP assembly, every candidate will need 35 votes. BJP, which has 310 MLAs and support of nine MLAs of its ally, Apna Dal, is likely to field 11 candidates.
The Samajwadi Party, which has 49 MLAs, can easily win one seat. The Mayawati-led BSP is unlikely to field a candidate. During Rajya Sabha elections in October last year, the BJP did not field an additional candidate, a move which paved the way for the unopposed election of BSP candidate and party national coordinator, Ramji Gautam, to the upper house of parliament.
Gautam’s election was preceded by a dramatic turn of events when the SP decided to support an independent candidate, Prakash Bajaj, to offset the BJP move.
As many as five BSP MLAs had reportedly hobnobbed with the SP leadership inviting the ire of BSP chief Mayawati who suspended them from the party. Mayawati had then said that she would choose to support the BJP in Vidhan Parishad elections to ensure SP’s defeat.