Lucknow,  The Bharatiya Janata Party has nominated Jai Prakash Nishad as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat that will be going to polls on August 24.

The seat fell vacant following the demise of Samajwadi Party MP Beni Prasad Verma.

Nishad, a resident of Gorakhpur, is a former MLA.

The nomination of Nishad for Rajya Sabha is a clear attempt by the BJP to consolidate its OBC base.