Even as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is assured of winning eight out of the 10 Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh on its own, its likely support to an independent candidate in the ensuing biennial elections 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 biennial elections to the House of Elders.

The other BJP candidates who filed their nominations were the 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 Anil Agarwal on the last day of nominations on Monday has made the contest for winning 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 cannot win a seat on its own strength it has been assured of 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 candidate 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 among its eight candidates may be transferred to Agarwal.