BJP and Congress candidates were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from several states including Manipur, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya Pradesh, filling multiple vacant seats in the Upper House of Parliament without a contest.
Manipur BJP president Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi was elected unopposed to the lone Rajya Sabha seat from the state.
Unopposed Wins in Rajasthan
Candidates for Rajasthan’s three Rajya Sabha seats were also elected unopposed. After being elected, BJP’s Sharda Devi told reporters, “After becoming a member of Raj Sabha, I will work for the welfare of the people of Manipur.” From Rajasthan, BJP candidates Satish Poonia and Alka Singh Gurjar, along with Congress candidate Neeraj Dangi, were declared elected unopposed after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations passed. The Returning Officer for the Rajya Sabha election, Bharat Bhushan Sharma, announced the election of Alka Singh and Satish Poonia of the BJP and Neeraj Dangi of the Indian National Congress (INC). Following the declaration, the Returning Officer handed over certificates of election to all three candidates.
Congress Victorious in Tamil Nadu
Meanwhile, Congress leader Praveen Chakravarty was elected unopposed as Rajya Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu. He paid tribute to former Chief Minister and party stalwart K Kamaraj at his residence in Chennai’s T Nagar. Kamraj is widely regarded as one of Tamil Nadu’s most influential political figures.
Four Elected Unopposed from Karnataka
On Thursday, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar congratulated Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leaders Pawan Khera and Mansoor Ali Khan on being elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha. All four candidates, three from Congress and BJP M Nagaraja, were declared elected unopposed in the biennial elections to four seats from Karnataka after the nomination of the independent candidate was rejected.
In a post on X, DK Shivakumar congratulated the Congress leaders while expressing confidence that the elected leaders will champion Karnataka’s interests in Parliament. “Heartiest Congratulations to Mallikarjun Kharge, Shri Pawan Khera, and Shri Mansoor Ali Khan on being elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka,” he said, adding, “I am confident that they will champion Karnataka’s interests in Parliament, effectively voicing the aspirations of our people and working towards the state’s continued progress and development.”
The elections were announced as the terms of four Rajya Sabha members–BJP’s Iranna Kadadi and Narayana Koragappa, Mallikarjun Kharge, and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda of the JD(S)–set to expire on June 25.
BJP Sweeps Madhya Pradesh Seats
Earlier, Congress’ Madhya Pradesh candidate for Rajya Sabha biennial elections, Meenakshi Natrajan’s nomination was cancelled after a complaint filed by the BJP alleging a discrepancy in her nomination papers. With Natarajan’s nomination cancelled, all three BJP candidates from Madhya Pradesh–Tarun Chugh, Rajneesh Agarwal and Mahesh Kewat–were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha. (ANI)
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