Bhopal, June 4 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday announced National General Secretary Tarun Chugh and state secretary Rajneesh Agarwal as its candidates for the two Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh, while the Congress is yet to finalise its nominees and has convened a Legislative Party meeting on June 6 to discuss its strategy.

Rajneesh Agarwal’s candidature is being seen as recognition of a leader who has spent years in the party organisation.

He has held key responsibilities within the BJP, including booth management, organisational expansion, and election strategy. He has also served as the party’s state secretary and state general secretary.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and other senior BJP leaders congratulated Agarwal on his nomination.

State BJP president Hemant Khandelwal said the party has once again allowed a dedicated organisational worker, reflecting its tradition of promoting leaders who have strengthened the organisation at the grassroots level.

He added that Agarwal’s years of dedication and commitment to the organisation are commendable, and expressed confidence that he will effectively raise the aspirations and public-interest concerns of Madhya Pradesh in the House.

Meanwhile, the Congress has scheduled a Legislative Party meeting at the state Congress office, Indira Bhawan, in Bhopal on June 6. The meeting will be chaired by Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar and attended by state Congress in-charge Harish Chaudhary and Pradesh Congress Committee president Jitu Patwari.

Singhar said the meeting has been called to discuss the party’s strategy for the Rajya Sabha elections and hold consultations with legislators before taking a final decision on the candidature. He added that senior leaders would deliberate on all aspects related to the election and formulate the party’s approach.

With 168 members in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, the BJP is in a comfortable position to send two nominees to the Upper House, whereas the Congress, with 63 MLAs, is in a position to win the third seat from the state.

The BJP’s Central Election Committee on Thursday released a list of 11 candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections. The list includes four candidates from Gujarat, two each from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, one each from Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, and one candidate for the Rajya Sabha by-election in Odisha.

Voting for 26 Rajya Sabha seats across 12 states will be held on June 18, with results likely to be declared the same day.

–IANS

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