External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar files nomination for Rajya Sabha

Gandhinagar, June 25: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who was nominated to contest from a Rajya Sabha seat in Gujarat hours after he joined the BJP on Monday, filed his nomination on Tuesday.

Along with Jaishankar, who was inducted into the Union Cabinet by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, the BJP has nominated Jugalji Thakore, an OBC leader from North Gujarat, to contest another Rajya Sabha seat in the state.

The two seats fell vacant after Union ministers Amit Shah and Smriti Irani were elected to the Lok Sabha in the April-May election.

Jaishankar, 64, had served as the Foreign Secretary in the previous Modi government. He had played a key role in shaping the foreign policy in PM Narendra Modi's first term.

He was inducted into the Cabinet by Modi in his second term and given the crucial portfolio of External Affairs.

As of now, Jaishankar is not a member of either House of Parliament. As per the rules, a minister who is not a member of Parliament must be elected as its member within six months of his swearing in.

The 1977-batch officer had also served as Indian envoy in countries like the US and China at crucial times.