S Jaishankar Files Nomination For Rajya Sabha Polls

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar filed his nomination for Rajya Sabha from Gujarat's Gandhinagar on Monday, even as the BJP is yet to announce candidates for the other two seats that are vacant in the state.

BJP's top decision-making body, its Parliamentary Board, is likely to decide on the vacant seats soon.

The Election Commission has announced the schedule for the election on 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Goa, Gujarat and West Bengal -- which will be held on July 24.

The Commission said 10 members from Goa, Gujarat and West Bengal are scheduled to retire in July and August.

The seats which are to be vacated in Rajya Sabha due to the retirement of members include Derek O'Brien from West Bengal and S Jaishankar from Gujarat.

July 13 is the last date for filing nominations for the vacant Rajya Sabha seats, the Election Commission said.

The counting of the votes will be held on July 24. Elections will be held on one Rajya Sabha seat from Goa as Vinay D. Tendulkar is set to retire on July 28.

Three Rajya Sabha seats from Gujarat will go to polls as Dineshchandra Jemalbhai Anavadiya, Lokhandwala Jugalsinh Mathurji, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar Krishnaswamy will retire on August 18, an official statement said.

Jaishankar was elected to Rajya Sabha from Gujarat in 2019 and took oath as a member of the Upper House. The Union Minister bagged 104 votes, while his Congress rival Gaurav Pandya got 70 votes. His term ends on August 18.

The two seats from Gujarat fell vacant after Union Ministers Amit Shah and Smriti Irani were elected to the Lok Sabha in recent national polls.

The strength of the BJP in the 182-seat Gujarat assembly stands at 156.

The Congress has decided not to field candidates for polls to the three Rajya Sabha seats from Gujarat as it did not have enough MLAs in the 182-member state Assembly.

Meanwhile, TMC announces the candidature of Derek O'Brien, Dola Sen, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Samirul Islam, Prakash Chik Baraik and Saket Gokhale for the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections.