A senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader, considered the architect of the party’s alliances in Jammu and Kashmir and Assam, is among two RSS faces being considered for Rajya Sabha nomination. Elections for 57 Rajya Sabha seats, which will fall vacant over the next three months, are scheduled for June 11. “BJP general secretary Ram Madhav and vice president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe are in contention for Rajya Sabha seats,” a party leader said, adding that seven ministers whose Rajya Sabha terms are ending, appeared set to return. Sahasrabuddhe, who also heads an RSS-affiliated think tank, is also being considered for RS seats from Madhya Pradesh of which he party’s in-charge. Both Yadav and Singh were among the five JD-U Rajya Sabha members whose terms expired, along with national spokesman KC Tyagi, former bureaucrat Pawan Kumar Varma and Gulam Rasool Baliyavi, in July end, necessitating elections.

Source: Hindustan Times May 26, 2016 13:37 UTC