“If party gives ticket, will definitely contest”: SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav on Rajya Sabha polls

New Delhi [India], September 23 (ANI):  Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Ram Gopal Yadav has indicated his willingness to contest the forthcoming biennial elections to Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh.
Yadav, a Rajya Sabha MP,  told ANI that he will contest the polls “if party gives him ticket”.
Asked how many candidates, Samajwadi Party will field in the Rajya Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, he said that parties decide on the number of their Rajya Sabha candidates based on the strength they have.  
"Based on that quota, the Samajwadi Party will field as many candidates as possible, and the BJP will field as many as it can. Parties know exactly how many seats they can win, so they field only that many candidates, and the elections end up being uncontested. If the party gives the ticket, then I will definitely contest."
Earlier, he made a light-hearted comment. “Hum to retire hi ho rahen hain," he quipped.
Election Commission  on Tuesday announced the schedule for biennial elections and a bye-election to the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal, along with biennial elections to the Legislative Councils of Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh from Graduates' and Teachers' constituencies.
According to an official notification issued by the ECI, biennial elections will be conducted for 11 Rajya Sabha seats, comprising 10 seats from Uttar Pradesh and one from Uttarakhand, which will fall vacant in November upon the retirement of sitting members. Simultaneously, a by-election will be conducted for a single casual vacancy in the Upper House from West Bengal, which arose following the resignation of TMC MP Rukmini Mallik.
The notification for the Rajya Sabha polls will be issued on September 29, and the last date for filing nominations has been fixed for October 6. Following the scrutiny of papers on October 7, the last date for the withdrawal of candidatures will be October 9. Polling will take place on October 16 between 9 am and 4 pm and votes will be counted on the same day. 
Ram Gopal Yadav on Tuesday chaired meeting of Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare. The panel heard oral evidence of the domain experts and organisations on ‘Latest Interventions in Affordable Cancer Screening, Diagnosis, Treatment, Care & Management with Proven Outcomes.  (ANI)