All three RS candidates from MP elected unopposed

Bhopal, June 3 : All three candidates from Madhya Pradesh were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha on Friday, an official in the state Assembly said.

Out of the three, two are from the ruling BJP -- Sumitra Valmiki and Kavita Patidar -- and one is a Congress nominee -- Vivek Tankha.

While senior advocate Tankha was elected to the Upper House for the second consecutive term, Sumitra Valmiki and Kavita Patidar are making their RS debut.Madhya Pradesh Assemblys principal secretary and returning officer for the elections, A.P.Singh, announced the results as no other candidate had filed nomination for the three vacant seats as of Friday, said an official.While the BJP had nominated two women -- one from the OBC community (Patidar) and another from the Dalit community (Valmiki) -- the Congress had given second term to Tankha, a Kashmiri Pandit.

The BJPs choice of candidates was seen as significant ahead of the upcoming local body polls, which were delayed over the OBC reservation issue before the Supreme Court resolved it, and next years Assembly elections.Patidar had earlier served as a member of the State Womens Commission, while Valmiki was elected as a corporator in the Jabalpur Municipal Corporation thrice and had also served as an alderwoman of the local body.

Tankha, a senior Supreme Court lawyer, is currently a member of the Rajya Sabha.The current terms of Tankha as well as the two BJP Rajya Sabha MPs from the state, M.J.Akbar and Sampatiya Uike, are ending this month.Of the total 11 Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh, the BJP holds eight while three are with the Congress.

The BJPs other members in the Rajya Sabha from the state are Union ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia, L.Murugan and Dharmendra Pradhan, Ajay Pratap Singh, Kailash Soni and Sumer Singh Solanki.Besides Tankha, former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh and Rajmani Patel are the other Rajya Sabha members from the Congress.

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