Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi and two candidates from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday from Rajasthan. Gandhi, along with Madan Rathod and Chunnilal Garasia of the BJP, were declared elected after no other candidates filed nominations for the three available seats.
This marks her debut in the Upper House following six terms of service in the Lok Sabha.
According to reports, INC’s Govind Dotasara arrived at the Assembly to receive Gandhi's election certificate, while BJP's Rathod and Garasia also reached the assembly to receive their certificates. Returning Officer Mahavir Prasad handed over the certificates to all three elected members.
Elections were held for three of the 10 Rajya Sabha seats from Rajasthan. The BJP fielded candidates for two seats, while the Congress fielded Gandhi for the third. With no other nominations filed, all three candidates were declared elected unopposed. The Congress party had previously sent former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. With Singh's term complete, the party chose Gandhi as their candidate, considering Rajasthan a safe seat for the party.