Arjun Singh, Shinde, Patel, Bhardwaj make way into RS

New Delhi, Mar 20 (UNI) Union Ministers Arjun Singh, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Praful Patel, Hansraj Bhardwaj and Dasari Narayan Rao led a galaxy of political heavyweights who were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha today.

The deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended today for the biennial elections to fill 59 seats from 15 states.

The Opposition ranks were bolstered by the election of former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi ( Shiv Sena) and former Delhi Chief Minister Sushma Swaraj (BJP).

Mr Shinde, Mr Patel (NCP), Mr Joshi, journalist-turned-politician Rajiv Shukla (Cong), Mr Vasant Chavan (NCP) and Prof Bal Apte (BJP) were elected from Maharashtra.

These six would be filling up the vacancies on April two against the retiring members--Yusuf Khan alias Dilip Kumar (Cong), Mr R S Gavai (RPI- supported by Cong), Mr Praful Patel and Mr Vasant Chavan (both NCP), Prof Bal Apte (BJP) and Mr Ram Jethmalani (Ind).

Mr Arjun Singh and former Union Ministers Sushma Swaraj and Vikram Verma (both BJP) were among five candidates elected unopposed from Madhya Pradesh.

The other two were BJP nominees Narayan Singh Kesri and Ms Anasuiya Uike.

Of the five seats falling vacant, Congress held three and BJP two. For the lone seat winnable by the Congress, Union Minister for Human Resource Development Arjun Singh had been renominated.

Newspaper baron P K Maheshwari has not been renominated, while Union Law Minister Hansraj Bharadwaj, who earlier represented the state in the upper house, was fielded from Haryana.

Mr Bhardwaj was declared elected unopposed to the Upper House of Parliament from Haryana to fill the vacancy caused by the retirement of sitting member Faquir Chand.

Union Minister of State for Coal and Mines Dasari Narayan Rao, INTUC national president G Sanjeeva Reddy, Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee President Dr Keshava Rao, Azeez Pasha (CPI), M V Mysoora Reddy (TDP), and Mr Rashid Alvi ( Congress) were elected unopposed from Andhra Pradesh.

At the end of the deadline for withdrawal at 1500 hrs today, Returning Officer K Tuljanand Singh, the State Legislature Secretary, declared the six candidates elected unopposed to fill the six seats from Andhra Pradesh in the biennial elections.

BJP leaders Ramdas Agarwal and Krishan Lal Valmiki and Abhishek Manu Singhvi of the Congress were declared elected unopposed from Rajasthan.

Those elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Orissa included BJP nominees Rudra Narayan Pani and Bhagirathi Majhi, BJD nominee Baijant Panda and Congress candidate Sushila Tiriya.

Mr Pani and Mr Panda were renominated by their respective party.

The BJP had fielded tribal leader Bhagirathi Majhi following expulsion of Mr Chhatrapal Singh Lodha from the Rajya Sabha in the wake of the ''Cash for Query'' sting operation by a TV channel.

Mr S S Ahluwalia(BJP) and Ms Mabel Rebello (Congress) were declared elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand.

Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) President Viplove Thakur was declared elected from the lone seat in the state falling vacant due to the expiry of the term of the current incumbent Kripal Parmar.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Shree Gopal Vyas was elected unopposed from Chhattisgarh.

The ruling BJP in the state had fielded Mr Vyas, who is incharge of foreign affairs of VHP.

The VHP leader had earlier served as regional head of Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS) after he took voluntary retirement from Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) where he was working as an engineer.

Elections will be held at the end of this month in Bihar ( for 6 seats), Gujarat (4), Karnataka(4), Uttar Pradesh (10), Uttaranchal(1) and West Bengal (5) .

UNI TEAM RP VC1916