This means a bonanza of two seats to the party in the Upper House where it is in a minority. It is widely speculated that of the two seats falling in its lap, the BJP will nominate one candidate from outside the State, like last time when it brought in Bangaru Laxman; while the other seat will be given to a local candidate, most probably someone from the media.

That the party will need a media baron more than ever in this election is evident. After the loss of three elections in different states and its failure to win back leaders from the erstwhile Rashtriya Janata Party, the party will find it difficult to make an impact on the electorate.

But State BJP president Rajendrasinh Rana discounts the possibility of any nomination from outside the State. ``All depends on the meeting we are going to hold in a couple of days once Keshubhai Patel arrives from his foreign tour,'' he added.

Rana admitted there was intense competition for the two seats and the party had already received representations from supporters of around a dozen aspirants from all parts of the State. He said no representation from the media was received yet. He, however, agreed that the party needed media support in this election and this was a good opportunity to win over friends in the print media. The candidate could well be either from Saurashtra or from Ahmedabad, according to official sources.

If the speculations of one seat going to the media prove true, then the one name doing rounds in political circles for the coveted seat is that of state unit vice-president K D Jeswani who is presently chairman of Gujarat State Fertilisers Company Ltd. Jeswani was not available for comment.