Rajya Sabha elections: Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan on Tuesday, news agency PTI reported citing the Assembly secretary Mahaveer Prasad Sharma.
This is the first time that Sonia Gandhi would be entering the Rajya Sabha. She will also be the second member of the Gandhi family to do so, after Indira Gandhi who was a member of the upper house from 1964 to 1967.
Sharma said that along with Gandhi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Chunnilal Garasiya and Madan Rathore have also been elected unopposed to the upper house from the state. Tuesday was the last day for withdrawing nominations.
Tuesday was the last day for withdrawing nominations. As there were no other contenders in the fray, the three leaders were elected to the Rajya Sabha unopposed.
Who are 3 Rajya Sabha MPs whose tenure will end?
The terms of Rajya Sabha members Manmohan Singh (Congress) and Bhupendra Yadav (BJP) are set to expire on April 3. The third seat became vacant after BJP MP Kirodi Lal Meena resigned from the House in December following his election as MLA.
In the 200-member assembly of Rajasthan, the BJP holds 115 seats, while the Congress holds 70 seats. There are a total of 10 Rajya Sabha seats allotted to Rajasthan. Following the recent election results, the Congress now has six members in the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan, while the BJP has four.
Rajya Sabha elections
The biennial Rajya Sabha polls will be held on February 27 for 56 seats, as the tenure of incumbents including former prime minister Manmohan Singh and BJP president J P Nadda will end in April. The vacancies also include seats held by nine Union ministers including Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav and Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
Voting will take place on February 27 between 9 am and 4 pm and counting of votes will take place on the same day at 5 pm. As per the established practice, while voting will take place from 9 am to 4 pm, the counting will be held on the same day from 5 pm onwards. While 50 members retire on April 2, six do so on April 3.
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