BJP nominates Sudhanshu Trivedi, Satish Dubey for Rajya Sabha bypolls to UP, Bihar

BJP on Thursday nominated its senior spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi and former Lok Sabha MP Satish Chandra Dubey for the Rajya Sabha bypolls to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, respectively.

The two Rajya Sabha seats fell vacant following the deaths of former Union Ministers Arun Jaitley and Ram Jethmal. The counting of votes will be taken up on October 16 at 5 pm, if necessary.

Trivedi, who is party's spokesperson since a very long time, is a close aide of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. He worked as Information Advisor to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and also Political Advisor to BJP National President Rajnath Singh. He is known for his sound debate and analysis of various socio-political issues.

Dubey was denied Lok Sabha ticket from Valmiki Nagar in Bihar in 2019 general election despite being a sitting MP. The seat had gone to JD-U's kitty under the seat-sharing formula of the NDA. The JD-U had fielded Vaidyanath Prasad Mahto from this constituency.

After being denied ticket, Dubey announced to contest the Lok Sabha election from the seat as an independent candidate. He was later convinced by the top party leadership to not contest.

Sources in BJP said Dubey was assured by the party leadership that he would be adjusted in future. The JD-U has also supported Dubey's candidature for his sacrifice in Lok Sabha polls.

Arun Jaitley, who represented Uttar Pradesh in Rajya Sabha, passed away on August 24 at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) after a prolonged illness. Jaitley was admitted to the institute on August 9 following complaints of breathlessness and restlessness. His Rajya Sabha term was valid until April 2, 2024.

Jethmal represented Bihar in the Upper House as Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate. His term was valid until July 7, 2022.

( With inputs from ANI )