Team News Riveting
Ahmedabad, February 16
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates for the ensuing Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat would smooth sailing as the Congress was reportedly not fielding any candidate for the two vacant seats
The BJP has nominated Dinesh Bhai Prajapati and Rambhai Mokaria for the Rajya Sabha by-election from Gujarat. The mid-term poll for the two seats in the Upper House of Parliament was necessitated following the death of Congress stalwart Ahmed Patel and Abhay Bharadwaj.
Both died of COVID inducted complications.
Ahmed Patel died on November 25, 2020 at a private hospital. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha five times. In the fresh term, he was elected in 2017 and his tenure was to end in 2023. The second seat became vacant after the death of Abhay Bharadwaj, who term was till June 21, 2026.
The political equation in Gujarat provided an edge to the BJP that has 111 MLAs in the state assembly while the Congress has 65 members. To win the Rajya Sabha election, 50 per cent votes or 88 votes are required. Last year, BJP’s Amit Shah and Smriti Irani won the vacated seats. In 2019, External Affairs Minister S Jayashankar was elected to Rajya Sabha from Gujarat.
According to the Election Commission, polls for the two seats will be held separately on March 1 and counting of votes will take place the same evening.
Both the BJP candidates are likely to be declared elected unopposed as the Congress party had reportedly decided not to contest the seat once held by its heavyweight leader.
