Old-time associate of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and current national vice-president of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Parshottam Rupala won the by-election to a vacant Rajya Sabha seat from Gujarat uncontested.

The seat became vacant after the sudden death of sitting Congress MP Pravin Rashtrapal in April this year. last date for filing nomination was May 31, but Opposition Congress Party decided not to contest the election as it was obvious that the seat would go to the BJP on the basis of the number of seats in Gujarat Assembly.

There were only two nominations for the vacant Rajya Sabha seat and both were from the ruling BJP. Apart from Rupala, other was KC Patel, a dummy candidate. Once verification of nomination form was complete, Patel withdrew his candidature in favour of 61-year-old Rupala and later on Rupala was declared victorious. Political circles in Gujarat believe that Rupala would get a chance in the Modi Cabinet in the upcoming reshuffle.

Known for his proximity to PM Modi, Rupala had served as school principal from 1977 to 1983 and as Chief Officer of the Amreli Municipality from 1983 to 1987. later on he became full-time politician. He got his first post in the party as Amreli district BJP president from 1988 to 1991. After that he was brought to the State-level politics in Ahmedabad as State BJP secretary in 1992. He was made State BJP president when Modi was Gujarat Chief Minister. He was elected thrice to Gujarat Assembly from Amreli constituency. In the Kehhubhai Patel Government he was Irrigation as well as Agriculture Minister.

This would be Rupala's second stint in the Rajya Sabha as he was elected to the Upper House of the Parliament in 2008. In his first term Rupala served on the committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution. He also served on the committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, law and Justice ember and committees on Shipping, Chemicals and Fertilizers.