Ahmed Patel has been a Rajya Sabha MP from Bharuch since 1993.
As the terms of several prominent faces in the Rajya Sabha, including Union minister Smriti Irani, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury and Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien, are coming to an end later this month, the polls to fill 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Gujarat, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh will be held tomorrow.
The terms of nine Rajya Sabha members from Gujarat and West Bengal are ending on August 18.
The election to nine seats from West Bengal and Gujarat were originally announced for June 8, but it had to be postponed due to the presidential election.
Of the nine retiring members, four are from Trinamool Congress, two from the Congress, two from the BJP and one from the CPM.
The retirement of Ahmed Patel (Congress), Dilipbhai Pandya (BJP) and Smriti Irani (BJP) -- all from Gujarat -- is due on August 18.
The tenure of members from West Bengal - Derek O'Brien (TMC), Debabrata Bandhopadhyay (TMC), Pradip Bhattacharya (Cong), Sitaram Yechury (CPM), Sukhenduhakhar Roy (TMC) and Dola Sen (TMC) also ends on the same day.
The election is crucial for the ruling BJP with its party chief Amit Shah contesting for a Rajya Sabha seat for the first time and Smriti Irani, who is already a Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat, being renominated for another term. Whereas it's a tough fight for veteran Congress leader Ahmed Patel, who is seeking a fifth consecutive term in Rajya Sabha.
Mr Shah is currently a legislator in the Gujarat Assembly while Mr Ahmed is Congress president Sonia Gandhi's political secretary. He has been a Rajya Sabha MP from Bharuch since 1993. Losing in his home state would severely hurt his and the party's prospects in the Gujarat Assembly elections due later this year. However, Congress is confident of Mr Patel's victory as it is banking heavily on NCP and JD(U) support.
In the 182-member Gujarat assembly, the strength of the Congress has gone down to 51 from 57 after the six legislators resigned following heavyweight Shankersinh Vaghela's exit last month after the party leadership refused to project him for chief minister in assembly elections later this year.
The Congress now needs to ensure support of at least 45 legislators for Ahmed Patel in tomorrow's election.