With three candidates out of seven in the fray for four Rajya Sabha (RS) seat elections in Gujarat decided to pull out on the last day of withdrawal of nominations, remaining candidates two each from ruling BJP as well as main Opposition Congress will be elected uncontested in the Upper House of the Parliament.
Returning officer for the RS polling in Gujarat AB Karova confirmed that three candidates — Rajani Patel, Kiritsinh Rana and PK Valera decided to withdraw their candidature a few minutes before the deadline on Thursday.
Rana and Patel were BJP nominees and Valera filed the nomination with the support of Congress. Of the remaining four BJP candidates Mansukh Mandavia and Parashottam Rupala as well as Amiben Yagnik and Naran Rathwa from Congress would be elected uncontested, said the Returning Officer, adding that his office received eight nominations for the four seat, but one form of Pankaj Mulani was rejected during scrutiny process as he didn’t get signatures 10 MlAs as his supporter.
In the 182-member Gujarat legislative Assembly, BJP and Congress have 99 and 77 MlAs respectively. Going by the strength legislators of ruling and Opposition parties in the House, Both were expected to get two seats each even if the polling would have conducted. Knowing the fact very well top leadership of both the parties decided to hold a meeting inside the Assembly complex and reached to amicable arrangement and as part of it three candidates withdrew their nominations.
Mandavia and Rupala are sitting RS members and Ministers of State in Modi government at Centre. As far as two Congress candidates are concern strong tribal leader Rathwa was Minister of State in former Congress led UPA Government and the lone woman candidate Ami Yagnik is a senior Congress leader who is set to become first time Member of Parliament.