Four BJP leaders, a Congress veteran elected unopposed to RS from MP

BHOPAL: Four BJP candidates and one from Congress were elected unopposed to

Rajya Sabha

from

Madhya Pradesh

on the last day of withdrawal of nominations. The biennial elections were held to fill up five Rajya Sabha seats.

Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Thawar Chand Gehlot and senior BJP leaders Kailash Soni and Ajay Pratap Singh had submitted their nomination papers on March 12 after BJP’s central election committee in New Delhi cleared their names from a list of 15 probables. Congress veteran Rajmani Patel, a former minister, filed his nomination on the last day after a nod by AICC. There were no challengers in the fray and none of the candidates withdrew their names, said election authorities.

“There were five candidates for five seats. On the last day of withdrawal of nominations, none of the candidates pulled out. The scrutiny of papers was done on March 13 and all the papers were found in order. After 3pm on Thursday, we declared all five elected unopposed,” said A P Singh, principal secretary of

Vidhan Sabha

, adding that Kailash Soni, Ajay Pratap Singh and Rajmani Patel have collected their certificates. Gahlot and Pradhan have authorised representatives to collect theirs.

“I have been elected unopposed for the first time to Upper House. I understand the responsibility the party has given to me. I will visit Delhi on March 31, but before that I have to take a tour of Mahakaushal and tribal areas of Vindhya to meet party workers,” BJP state general secretary Ajay Pratap Singh told TOI. Apart from development issues, the party has assigned other responsibilities to all senior members ahead of assembly polls this year, he said.