Express News Service
NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar and three other BJP candidates were elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Gujarat and West Bengal on Monday Similarly, six Trinamool Congress candidates, including Derek O’Brien and Saket Gokhale, were to the Upper House of Parliament unopposed from West Bengal.
This is the second consecutive term for Jaishankar in the Rajya Sabha. He had filed his nomination from Gandhinagar in Gujarat as a BJP candidate after his term expired recently. The career diplomat-turned-politician was inducted into the Union Cabinet in 2019.
Ananta Rai ‘Maharaj’ became the first elected member of the Rajya Sabha from West Bengal. His nomination was bitterly criticised by the TMC on the ground that ‘Maharaj’ had been demanding a separate state of ‘Greater Cooch Behar’, to be carved out of the northern part of West Bengal. Kesridevsinh Jhala and Babubhai Desai are the other two BJP candidates elected unopposed from Gujarat.
After the scrutiny of nomination papers, the returning officer, West Bengal announced that all six candidates of the TMC and one of the BJP have been elected to Rajya Sabha unopposed. Those elected include Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Dola Sen.
O’Brien, an MP since 2011, is the TMC’s leader in the Rajya Sabha, while Ray, who was first sent to the Upper House in 2012 is the deputy chief whip. The newcomers are Bangla Sanskriti Mancha president Samirul Islam, the TMC’s Alipurduar district president Prakash Chik Baraik, and TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale. RTI activist Gokhale was elected in the by-poll that became vacant following the resignation of former Goa chief minister Luizinho Faleiro as a TMC MP in April.
NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar and three other BJP candidates were elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Gujarat and West Bengal on Monday Similarly, six Trinamool Congress candidates, including Derek O’Brien and Saket Gokhale, were to the Upper House of Parliament unopposed from West Bengal.
This is the second consecutive term for Jaishankar in the Rajya Sabha. He had filed his nomination from Gandhinagar in Gujarat as a BJP candidate after his term expired recently. The career diplomat-turned-politician was inducted into the Union Cabinet in 2019.
Ananta Rai ‘Maharaj’ became the first elected member of the Rajya Sabha from West Bengal. His nomination was bitterly criticised by the TMC on the ground that ‘Maharaj’ had been demanding a separate state of ‘Greater Cooch Behar’, to be carved out of the northern part of West Bengal. Kesridevsinh Jhala and Babubhai Desai are the other two BJP candidates elected unopposed from Gujarat.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
After the scrutiny of nomination papers, the returning officer, West Bengal announced that all six candidates of the TMC and one of the BJP have been elected to Rajya Sabha unopposed. Those elected include Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Dola Sen.
O’Brien, an MP since 2011, is the TMC’s leader in the Rajya Sabha, while Ray, who was first sent to the Upper House in 2012 is the deputy chief whip. The newcomers are Bangla Sanskriti Mancha president Samirul Islam, the TMC’s Alipurduar district president Prakash Chik Baraik, and TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale. RTI activist Gokhale was elected in the by-poll that became vacant following the resignation of former Goa chief minister Luizinho Faleiro as a TMC MP in April.
