RS: Venkaiah,Rudy may figure in BJP list

The BJP is likely to stick to its known faces while deciding the nominees for the Rajya Sabha. Given its numerical strength in states heading for biennial polls for the Upper House,the party is in a position to get at least 10 members elected....

The BJP is likely to stick to its known faces while deciding the nominees for the Rajya Sabha. Given its numerical strength in states heading for biennial polls for the Upper House,the party is in a position to get at least 10 members elected.

Though the party has not finalised its nominees as yet,sources said there was consensus on renominating Venkaiah Naidu,Nand Kumar Sai,Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Anil Madhav Dave. While party vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi is the likely choice from UP,Hema Malini,Najma Heptullah,B C Khanduri,Tawar Chand Gehlot and Tarun Vijay are possible candidates.

Out of the 55 seats,the party can comfortably get 10 persons elected to the Upper House. From Chhattisgarh,the state unit has already recommended the name of Sai. There is all likelihood of Dave being renominated. The candidate for the second seat in Madhya Pradesh,however,is going to be a tough call as there are too many contenders.

Naidus name has more or less been agreed upon for one of the two seats from Karnataka. The second seat would go to a local leader. From Maharashtra,sources said BJP treasurer Piyush Goyal is set to be nominated. The partys parliamentary board is meeting on Friday and the first list of candidates is expected to be released.

The BJP is in a position to win two seats from Rajasthan,where the names of Hema Malini,Najma Heptullah and state president Arun Chaturvedi are doing the rounds. In all likelihood,Rajiv Pratap Rudy would be renominated from Bihar. In Uttarakhand,the probables include former chief minister B C Khanduri,former MP Chandan Mitra and party spokesperson Tarun Vijay.

Although Naqvi is likely to be the partys choice in UP,Santhosh Gangwar and Kesri Nath Tripathi are also vying for the seat.