Jaipur, June 5 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday announced former Rajasthan BJP president and former MLA Satish Poonia and party national secretary Alka Gurjar as its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Rajasthan. With elections due for three Rajya Sabha seats from Rajasthan, the BJP is comfortably placed to win two seats based on its numerical strength in the state assembly, while the Congress is expected to secure the remaining seat. Poonia, who currently serves as the BJP's Haryana in-charge, is a prominent Jat leader and has held several key organisational positions within the party. Alka Gurjar, a long-time BJP functionary and the party's national secretary, represents the influential Gurjar community and has been actively involved in organisational work for years. Political observers view the selection of Poonia and Gurjar as a calculated move by the BJP to send a strong message to two significant vote banks ahead of future electoral battles in Rajasthan. The nominations also reflect the party's preference for leaders with long-standing organisational experience and loyalty to the party structure. The biennial Rajya Sabha elections in Rajasthan are being held to fill vacancies arising from the completion of terms of Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, BJP member of Parliament (MP) Rajendra Gehlot and Congress MP Neeraj Dangi on June 21. Polling for the three seats will take place on June 18, with votes to be cast between 9 am and 4 pm. Counting will begin at 5 pm on the same day and results will be declared shortly thereafter. The election process commenced on June 1. Scrutiny of nomination papers is scheduled for June 9, while candidates can withdraw their nominations until 3 pm on June 11. On the Congress side, the party is yet to announce its nominee for the seat it is expected to win. Party national spokesperson Pawan Khera is being seen as the frontrunner, though senior leaders Bhanwar Jitendra Singh and outgoing Rajya Sabha MP Neeraj Dangi are also reportedly under consideration. People privy to the matter indicate that the Congress leadership may opt for a national-level face rather than a state leader in an effort to avoid factional rivalries within the Rajasthan unit. The final decision is expected in the coming days as the nomination process gathers pace....