BJP has nominated former Bihar deputy CM Sushil Modi as the party’s candidate for Rajya Sabha from the state. He has been nominated for the by-poll to the Rajya Sabha scheduled to take place on 14 December. The by-election was necessitated due to former union minister and LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan. BJP decided to keep the seat to itself instead of giving it to LJP after the party broke the alliance ahead of Bihar assembly elections.
Sushil Modi was not inducted in the newly elected Bihar government headed by Nitish Kumar. Since then, it was being speculated that the veteran BJP leader will be moved to the centre. Today’s nomination has proved those speculations correct.
Although Rajya Sabha MPs are elected for a fixed term of six years, Sushil Modi will remain MP only till 2024, because it is a by-election, and he will get the remaining term in the vacant seat. The seat was originally own by Ravi Shankar Prasad in 2018. But he resigned in the next year after being elected to the Lok Sabha. After that, Ram Vilas Paswan was elected to the seat with the support of BJP and JD(U). Therefore, it will be third election for the 2018-2024 term of the Rajya Sabha seat.
After Sushil Modi moves to Rajya Sabha, possibilities have also emerged that he may be inducted in the union cabinet. A cabinet expansion is due anytime soon, as four posts have become vacant in the cabinet. Death of Ram Vilas Paswan and minister of state for Railways Suresh Angadi had cause two vacancies, while exit of Shiv Sena and Akali Das has two more vacancies.
It is being speculated PM Narendra Modi will expand the cabinet in December itself, well ahead of the budget session. The winter session this year has been cancelled due to Coronavirus pandemic, and the same has been merged with budget session.