BJP wins both Rajya Sabha seats unopposed in Gujarat, including one held by Ahmed Patel
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday won both Rajya Sabha seats in Gujarat. One of the seats was held by late senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel.
With two dummy candidates withdrawing their nominations, BJP candidates Ram Mokariya and Dinesh Anavadiya have been elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat.
According to Returning officer CB Pandya, two dummy candidates from the BJP -- Rajnikant Patel and Kirit Solanki -- withdrew their nominations on Saturday.
The byelections were necessitated by the demise of Congress leader Ahmed Patel and BJP leader Abhay Bhardwaj last year.
With the by-election for two seats being held separately, the Congress, having 65 MLAs in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly, decided not to field any candidate as it saw no chance of winning any seat. The BJP has 111 MLAs.
