Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi / ANI
In a significant development, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi secured an unopposed victory in the Rajya Sabha elections from Rajasthan on Tuesday. Assembly Secretary Mahaveer Prasad Sharma confirmed the unopposed election, with Tuesday marking the deadline for withdrawing nominations.
Sonia Gandhi's election to the Rajya Sabha makes her the second member of the Gandhi family to join the Upper House, following the tenure of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from August 1964 to February 1967. The upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, scheduled for February 27, will witness the retirement of 56 members from 15 states in April, including Congress stalwart Manmohan Singh and BJP's Bhupendra Yadav.
The vacancy for the third seat arose after BJP MP Kirodi Lal Meena resigned in December upon being elected as an MLA. With 115 members, the BJP holds a majority in the 200-member assembly, while the Congress has 70 seats. Rajasthan has a total of 10 Rajya Sabha seats, with the recent elections resulting in the Congress holding six seats and the BJP holding four.
Given that no other candidates contested the election, Sonia Gandhi, alongside Bharatiya Janata Party's Chunnilal Garasiya and Madan Rathore, was declared elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha, according to the Assembly Secretary. The tenure of the outgoing members, Manmohan Singh and Bhupendra Yadav, is set to conclude on April 3, shaping the landscape of the Upper House representation from the state.