Thursday, March 9 2006 10:41 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Lobbying for Rajya Sabha seats is expected to gather pace in the week ahead with 58 members, including Union Ministers Arjun Singh, H R Bhardwaj, DeputyChairman K Rahman Khan and senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj,set to retire soon and fresh elections scheduled for March 28.

The stage would be set for the elections with the issue of notification tomorrow(Mar 10,2006).

A maximum of ten seats in Uttar Pradesh, six each in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra, five each in Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal, four each in Gujarat and Karnataka, three each in Orissa and Rajasthan, two in Jharkhand and one each in Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal would fall vacant next month.

Arjun Singh is expected to be renominated from BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh where opposition Congress could bring only one member to the Upper House. Bhardwaj is making attempts to shift to Congress-governed Haryana where there are already some contenders.

Union Minister Praful Patel is expected to be renominated by ruling NCP in Maharashtra while former Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde would be one of the two nominees of Congress from the state.

Noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani, whose term is also ending, is keen on a re-entry through the nomination category amid reports that RJD supremo and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad is backing his case. (

BJP is also toying with the idea of bringing an influential media baron from Uttar Pradesh while a renomination for its senior leader from the state Kalraj Mishra appears on the cards.

Former Union Minister C K Jaffer Sharief is also trying to get nomination from Karnataka.

These elections are subject to ruling of the Supreme Court, which has reserved its order on a PIL filed by noted journalist Kuldip Nayar challenging the constitutional validity of doing away with domicile clause and secret ballot for the polls.

The retiring members are Alladi P Rajkumar, Raashid Alvi, Dasari Narayana Rao, Ramamuni Reddy Sirigi Reddy, K Ram Mohana Rao and Vangaeetha (all AP), Kumkum Rai, Faguni Ram, Mahendra Prasad, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Vidya Sagar Nishad, Vijay Singh Yadav (all Bihar).

Kamla Manohar (Chhattisgarh), Arun Jaitley, A K Patel, Parmar Rajubhai Arjanbhai, Bachani Lekhraj Hemraj (all Gujarat), Faquir Chand (Haryana), Kripal Parmar (HP), S S Ahluwalia, R K Anand (both Jharkhand), K B Krishna Murthy,Bimba Raikar and a seat vacated by M Rajashekara Murthy (all Karnataka), Narayan Singh, P K Maheswari and Vikramsingh (all MP), Balavant Apte, Khan Yusuf Sarwar (Dilip Kumar), Gavai Ramkrishna Suryabhanji, Vasant Chavan, Praful Patel and RamJethmalani (all Maharashtra).