Even as the ruling BJP is assured of winning eight out of the 10 Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh on its own, it is likely to support an independent candidate in the ensuing biennial election. This has thrown open the electoral contest for the tenth seat.

The biennial polls for the 10 Rajya Sabha seats from UP are due on 23 March. In all, 14 candidates have filed their nominations for election to the 10 seats.

These include eight of the BJP, one each of the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, an Independent and three others.

Eight BJP candidates, including Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, filed their nominations in the central hall of the Vidhan Bhavan on Monday, which was the last day for submitting papers for the elections.

The other BJP candidates who filed their nominations were Samajwadi Party turncoat Ashok Bajpai, GVL Narasimha Rao, Harnath Singh Yadav, Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, Sakal Deep Rajbhar, Kanta Kardam and Anil Jain.

However, the candidature of Independent candidate Anil Agarwal on the last day of nominations has made the contest for the tenth seat interestingly poised considering that the BJP with 325 MLAs (the total number includes 13 MLAs of its allies, Apna Dal (Soney Lal) and Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party) and the Samajwadi Party with 47 MLAs are assured of winning eight and one seat respectively. Thirty eight first preference votes of the MLAs are required to win a seat.

Jaya Bachchan of the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party’s Bhim Rao Ambedkar had filed their papers last week.

Since the BSP has only 19 MLAs in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly and will not be able to win a seat on its own, it has been assured of the support of the Samajwadi Party following an understanding between former chief ministers Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav. The Congress which has seven MLAs has also decided to support the BSP candidate.

Following Ghaziabad businessman Anil Agarwal’s candidature for the tenth seat things may be a little difficult for the BSP as there is a possibility of the BJP supporting the former’s candidature.

There is a likelihood of 28 votes of the BJP which would be left after the division of votes amongst its eight candidates, being transferred to Agarwal.

Sources claimed that after SP MP Naresh Agarwal was denied renomination by Akhilesh Yadav for another term in the Rajya Sabha, the possibility of cross-voting by some of the SP MLAs in favour of the BJP candidates had increased.

Moreover, the SP president’s uncle and MLA from Jaswantnagar, Shivpal Singh Yadav is reportedly still unhappy with his nephew and is yet to get over the humiliation meted out to him.