All eyes on Rajya Sabha berth in MP after Thawar Chand Gehlot's resignation

BHOPAL: With the appointment of former union minister Thawar Chand Gehlot as governor of Karnataka, all eyes in BJP are on the Rajya Sabha berth vacated by him.
There were speculations rife that the national leadership will give more weightage to the ministers who have been sworn in the Union cabinet on July 7, despite not being a member of the Parliament.
Sources in BJP disclosed that the Election Commission might announce by-election for the single berth anytime after the monsoon session of the assembly.
Principal secretary of the assembly, Awadhesh Pratap Singh said that the secretariat is prepared but it all depends on the EC.
Amid speculations, names of a few senior leaders doing rounds in the political circles include BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayavargiya; Lal Singh Arya, national president of SCs Front and some outsiders like Union ministers Sarbananda Sonowal and L Murugan.
Sources also said Sonolwa might get the berth in Assam which was vacated by BJP leader Biswajit Daimary on May 10.
Muruguan is likely to get elected from Puducherry as as BJP wants him to work for both Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
The party high command is likely to take a decision after the announcement of the by-polls, sources added.
Vijayavargiya had been the in-charge of party affairs in the recently concluded assembly elections for West Bengal.
Despite losing, the BJP made an impressive jump from 3 to 77 seats in the state.
However, he has not given any indication whether he is willing to be a Rajya Sabha member. Lal Singh Arya, being a prominent SC face in the saffron group, could be considered as one of the strong claimants for the berth.
According to the current party situation in the assembly, BJP has a strength of 125 members while the opposition Congress has 95 members in the House.
There are four Independents, two Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and one Samajwadi Party (SP) candidates while three seats, Jobat, Prithvipur and Raigaon are vacant after the demise of the members during Covid-19 pandemic. The EC is likely to conduct a by-poll on these three seats too.
In June 29, 2022, three seats are likely to be vacated; two from BJP and one from Congress, as tenure of Sampatiya Uike, MJ Akbar and Vivek Tankha will be completed. The BJP being in majority in the house claims to win all the three seats apart from the current berth vacated by Gehlot.
"We have seven members in Rajya Sabha from the state and the eighth has been appointed as Governor. We are sure to win this seat and the other three seats next year. We are waiting for the Election Commission's decision. The party leadership and central election committee will decide on the name for the berth," said BJP state general secretary, Bhagwandas Sabnani.