Former Prime Minister and Congress veteran Manmohan Singh was on Monday elected to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan, reported PTI. He was declared elected unopposed as the deadline to withdraw nominations for the bye-polls ended at 3 pm.
The bye-election was necessitated after the death of Rajya Sabha MP and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Madan Lal Saini in June. While the Congress nominated Singh from the seat, the BJP did not field any candidate.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot congratulated Singh. “Dr Singh’s election is a matter of pride for the entire state,” he tweeted. “His vast knowledge and rich experience would benefit the people of Rajasthan a lot.”
Singh began his stint in the Upper House in 1991, as a member from Assam. Soon after, then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao had included him in his Cabinet, where he served as the finance minister. The two-time prime minister’s term as the Rajya Sabha member from Assam ended in June. The Congress was unable to re-nominate him as the party’s strength had reduced to only 25 in the 126-member Assam Assembly.
Neeraj Shekhar elected unopposed from UP
Meanwhile, Neeraj Shekhar, son of former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, was also elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha, PTI reported. He had resigned from the Upper House as a Samajwadi Party leader on July 15, and had now filed his nomination as the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate.
Uttar Pradesh sends 31 members to the Rajya Sabha.
Shekhar’s resignation meant the Samajwadi Party, led by former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, has only nine members in the Rajya Sabha, and five in the Lok Sabha.
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