Union Ministers Among Contestants In BJP’s List For Rajya Sabha Bypolls On Sep 3

The party has fielded Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu from Rajasthan, the state ruled by BJP at present.

Earlier, Bittu a 48-year-old leader had quit Congress and joined the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. He contested from Ludhiana in Punjab as a BJP candidate but lost to Congress leader Amarinder Singh Raja Warring.

Bittu is currently a Union Minister of State Railway and Food Processing Industries.

Besides, the party has also fielded George Kurian, Union minister of State in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, from Madhya Pradesh. The Lok Sabha seat fell vacant after Rajya Sabha member and Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia won the Lok Sabha election from the Guna constituency.

Kurian has been with BJP for the last four decades after he entered politics with the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of BJP.

Also, the list constitutes Manan Kumar Mishra, an advocate who will contest from Bihar for the by-poll election.

BJP has also fielded Kiran Choudhary from Haryana. Earlier, Choudhary had quit Congress to join BJP ahead of recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.

Haryana Rajya Sabha seat fell vacant after after Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda was elected to the Lok Sabha from Rohtak.

From Maharashtra, the BJP has fielded Dhairyashil Patil while Mamata Mohanta is the saffron party candidate from Odisha, a state where the BJP swept the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in June.

The BJP has fielded Rajib Bhattacharjee from Tripura.