When the BJP’s four Rajya Sabha nominees submitted their papers in Gujarat, the absence of a Congress candidate marked a significant shift. This move leaves the BJP poised to claim all 11 Rajya Sabha seats allocated to Gujarat, rendering Congress without representation in the Upper House.
With BJP’s strong hold in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly, where they currently hold 161 seats compared to Congress’s 12, the arithmetic makes a Congress victory impossible. The four BJP nominees, including Raju Shukla and Mansinh Parmar, filed their nominations in the presence of top party leaders.
The decline of Congress in Gujarat has been gradual, culminating in the party’s decision not to contest the Rajya Sabha elections due to lack of numbers. This move underscores the party’s diminishing presence in a state it once dominated politically.
The absence of a Congress candidate reflects broader challenges faced by the party, including electoral setbacks and internal organizational weaknesses. Despite ongoing efforts to revitalize the party through grassroots restructuring, the road to recovery remains uncertain.
