Ranchi, June 6: The electorate might have dashed their hopes of another stint in Parliament, but former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Karia Munda, after their defeat in the Lok Sabha election, are now looking for a route to the Rajya Sabha.

Elections for the two Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand, vacated by BJP members P.K. Agrawala and Abhay Kant Prasad, both belonging to BJP, are due to be held in near future.

There is very little doubt among the top brass of the BJP that Yashwant Sinha’s skills should come in handy for the party in the Rajya Sabha to fight the challenges ahead. Karia Munda’s election to the Rajya Sabha will also send the right message to the tribal voters ahead of the Assembly elections. But, the leaders are worried that the move might set a wrong precedent. A section of BJP leaders strongly holds that persons who lose a Lok Sabha election should not be granted Rajya Sabha tickets.

Compounding the problems for the BJP is the fact that there are many contenders for the seats. Agrawala and Prasad, themselves, have not opted out of the race. Agrawala has spent two full terms in the Rajya Sabha and is aiming for a hattrick. Prasad, also the state BJP president, was elected to the Rajya Sabha two years ago in a by-election, following the death of D.N. Sahay.

A Dhanbad-based industrialist, Agrawala has been somewhat of a crisis man for the BJP. Prasad, on the other hand, is camping in Delhi to plead his case. Sources said Prasad, not very popular among workers, is finding it difficult to convince central leaders that he was not responsible for the party’s poor Lok Sabha rout.

Other important aspirants are Bihar Legislative Council member Saryu Rai, Jharkhand State Mineral Development Corporation chairman Deepak Prakash, former MP Shailendra Mahto and former MLA Upendra Nath Das. State unit BJP spokesman Uma Shankar Kedia informed that all the 18 applications received have been forwarded to the party high command.

Saryu Rai, especially is difficult to ignore given his crucial role in reviving the BJP in unified Bihar with Sushil Kumar Modi and Ravi Shankar Prasad, through judicial activism. After the last Assembly election, he has shifted his focus to Jharkhand. He was the behind-the scenes man during the formation of the Babulal Marandi and Arjun Munda governments. His “towering personality” and closeness to L.K. Advani make him a redoubtable leader. But it is the “outsider” tag that might prove his problem.

Further, he has a good number of enemies within the BJP and is yet to contest a Lok Sabha or Vidhan Sabha election. JSMDC chairman Deepak Prakash is known for his intimacy to Babulal Marandi. After the recent election results, Marandi is now regarded as the only BJP with mass support. Rai, too, is a Marandi aide and it remains to be seen who benefits from the proximity.

The BJP also cannot afford to overlook Shailendra Mahto because of his sway over the Mahto votebank. After parting ways with the JMM, he helped his wife, Abha win the Jamshedpur Lok Sabha seat twice. Now that the couple are out of power, it is important that the BJP not cold-shoulder the Mahtos as they continue to wield considerable influence.

Another contender is former MLA Upendra Nath Das, who has asked the BJP president that to send him as the first Dalit member to the Rajya Sabha. Das has served the party since the Jan Sangh days and was elected to the Bihar Vidhan Sabha in 1977, 1990 and 1995.

The party has of course a little time before it decides on the candidates. The procedure for the Rajya Sabha election will not begin till June 14.