From tribal leader to OBC morcha chief: BJP's four RS picks from Gujarat
Gandhinagar, June 4
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday announced four candidates from Gujarat for the upcoming Rajya Sabha biennial elections, naming senior party functionaries Raju Shukla, Mukesh Rathwa, Mansinh Parmar, and Jitendra Kanzariya for the four seats that will fall vacant later this month.
In an official statement, the BJP's Central Election Committee said the candidature of the four leaders had been approved by the party's central leadership as part of its list of nominees for Rajya Sabha elections in several states.
The elections have been necessitated by the retirement of sitting Rajya Sabha members Ram Mokariya, Narhari Amin, Shaktisinh Gohil, and Ramila Bara, whose terms are scheduled to end on June 21.
The Election Commission has scheduled polling for June 18. The last date for filing nominations is June 8, scrutiny will be held on June 9, and candidates can withdraw their nominations until June 11.
The Rajya Sabha elections are conducted through an indirect voting system in which elected members of state legislative assemblies vote under proportional representation by single transferable vote.
The BJP, which holds an overwhelming majority in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly, is comfortably placed to win all four seats.
The outcome is expected to have significant implications for the Congress, whose lone Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat, Shaktisinh Gohil, is retiring at the end of his term.
If the BJP secures all four seats, the Congress will have no representation in the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat for the first time since the state's formation.
Among the BJP nominees, Raju Shukla is a veteran party leader from Mehsana district. A commerce and law graduate, he currently serves as a Pradesh Executive Member and district in-charge for Surendranagar.
During his political career, he has served as Vice President of the BJP's Kadi unit, President of Kadi Municipality, and District General Secretary of the BJP in Mehsana.
He has also worked as the party's coordinator for the Vidhansabha and Lok Sabha Vistaarak Yojana in 2022 and 2024, served as the district in-charge of the BJP in Aravalli, and held the position of member of the Gujarat Public Service Commission.
Shukla is an RSS-trained volunteer and has also served as the State Treasurer of Vidya Bharati Gujarat and as a trustee of its educational institutions in Kadi and Gandhinagar.
Mukesh Rathwa, 39, hails from Chhota Udepur district and belongs to the Scheduled Tribe Rathwa community. A postgraduate with qualifications including M.A., M.Ed., ITI, and legal studies, he currently serves as General Secretary of the BJP organisation in Chhota Udepur district.
Rathwa has previously served as the state-level Vice President of the BJP Yuva Morcha and as the party's Yuva Morcha in-charge for Surat city. His nomination is seen as strengthening the party's representation among tribal communities.
Mansinh Parmar, 45, from Gir Somnath district, is presently the Gujarat president of the BJP OBC Morcha. A chemical engineering graduate from Nirma Institute of Technology, Ahmedabad, Parmar also holds a law degree and is pursuing a Master of Laws degree.
His political journey began with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), where he was active between 1999 and 2004.
He was elected to the Gujarat University Senate as a member representing the Engineering Faculty in 2002, and subsequently held a series of positions in the BJP Yuva Morcha, including Taluka President, District Vice President, and State Vice President.
Parmar has served as a member of the BJP Yuva Morcha state executive, as Director of the Nehru Yuva Kendra in Gir Somnath, as a member of the Gir Somnath District Panchayat, as District General Secretary of the BJP Gir Somnath, and later as District President of the party.
In 2022, he contested the Somnath Assembly seat as the BJP candidate. The fourth nominee, Jitendra Kanzariya, 39, comes from the Devbhumi Dwarka district.
An OBC leader from the Sathvara community, he holds degrees in commerce and computer applications, including B.Com. and MCA qualifications.
Kanzariya has previously served as a Karobari member of the district panchayat and has been associated with organisational activities in the region.
The selection of the four candidates reflects the BJP's attempt to balance organisational experience with representation from different social groups, including OBC, tribal, and general categories.
The nominees include leaders with backgrounds in local self-government institutions, youth politics, organisational work, and community outreach.
The BJP also announced candidates for Rajya Sabha seats from Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, and Rajasthan. In addition, the party named Debashish Samantaray as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha by-election from Odisha.
With the party's numerical strength in the Gujarat Assembly giving it a decisive advantage, the four BJP nominees are expected to secure election to the Upper House when voting takes place later this month.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Congress losing its only RS seat from Gujarat is a big deal. Shaktisinh Gohil was a strong voice, but times change. BJP's strategy of picking grassroots-level workers like Raju Shukla and Jitendra Kanzariya shows they value organisational loyalty. Let's see how they perform in the Upper House.
Chemical engineer from Nirma doing law too? Mansinh Parmar seems overqualified for politics 😂 But seriously, having educated people in Rajya Sabha is good. Hope they debate well and bring Gujarat's issues to the national stage. The tribal representation from Rathwa is a nice touch.
I'm a bit skeptical. All four are BJP loyalists with similar backgrounds – RSS/ABVP roots, district-level work. Where's the diversity of thought? Rajya Sabha is supposed to be a house of elders with expertise. These picks feel more about rewarding party workers than bringing fresh perspectives.
Interesting that they picked someone from Devbhumi Dwarka – that's a small district. Jitendra Kanzariya being from Sathvara community could help in local elections. But honestly, with BJP's majority in Gujarat assembly, any four candidates would win easily. The real test is what they do once they reach Delhi.
As an outsider looking in, this feels very strategic. BJP knows how to balance caste equations – tribal (Rathwa), OBC (Parmar & Kanzariya), and general (Shukla). Smart move. But will this translate into better policy for Gujarat? The proof will be in their parliamentary work.
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