Supriya Sule elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha

Mumbai, Sept 9: Ms Supriya Sule, daughter of Union Agriculture Minister and NCP President Sharad Pawar, has been elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha after three other nominations were rejected in the scrutiny today.

The by-election was necessitated due to the death of sitting MP Vasant Chavan on July 11. The result will be officially declared after the last date of withdrawal of nominations on September 11.

Ms Sule, the only child of NCP president and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar is backed by the Congress.

Mr V D Joshi, returning officer of the by-election, said the nominations of Milind Kisanrao Salve, Bharatlal Mohanlal Bhatia, from Kalyan and Ashok Shankar Patil from Alibag were rejected in the scrutiny.

''These nominations did not have proposer or seconder.

They did not even deposit the necessary amount. Similarly, they also failed to submit the affidavit of their assets and liabilities'', he said.

The Shiv Sena-BJP alliance had decided not to field a candidate as it does not have the required numbers in the 289 member Legislative Assembly which is the electoral college for the polls.

Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray has ''warmly welcomed'' Ms Sule in politics saying that her nomination to the Rajya Sabha was the first good political decision taken by her father and his one time friend Sharad Pawar.

UNI