Who’ll be BJP’s contender for the RS seat?

LUCKNOW: The Bharatiya Janata Party, which can at the most send one MP from its quota for election to Rajya Sabha, has yet to take a final call on the candidate.
Names of several leaders had been doing rounds, while BJP’s central team has not even discussed the issue, sources said.
In Delhi, name of old RSS man-turned BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav is doing the rounds, while there are many in UP lobbying to make it to the Elders' House in Parliament.
Current Rajya Sabha member Kusum Rai, whose term will be expiring in November second week is one such contender. Much water has flown under the bridge since Kusum Rai last became Rajya Sabha member.
Other than Rai, names of former BJP president Rajnath Singh's close confidante and national BJP spokesman Sudhanshu Trivedi along with Lucknow Mayor and national vice-president of the BJP Dr Dinesh Sharma are also being discussed. Sending Sharma to Rajya Sabha for BJP would mean mayoral election, as the national vice-president, now also the party's in charge for Gujarat, will have to vacate the seat. BJP leader Yogesh Shukla is also believed to be vying for a place in Rajya Sabha. Shukla had lost in Lok Sabha elections in 2009 from Allahabad after veteran BJP leader Dr Murli Manohar Joshi switched his constituency and contested from Varanasi. If the party decides on a Dalit face, Vinod Sonker Shastri, the national BJP spokesman, is believed to be in the race. Besides, Shastri Ramnath Kobid, who is state general secretary of the party, is also believed to be in the race.
If the party chooses an OBC candidate, state general secretary Swatantra Deo Singh, the state membership chief of the BJP is likely to be in the race.
Sources in Delhi confirmed the decision would be taken in a couple of days.