Bhopal: Congress's Tankha, BJP's Valmiki, Patidar elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Congress leader and senior lawyer Vivek Tankha and the BJP's Sumitra Valmiki and Kavita Patidar were declared as elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh on Friday, an official said here.

While Tankha was elected for the second consecutive term in the Upper House of Parliament, Valmiki and Patidar are making their debuts.

Madhya Pradesh Assembly's principal secretary and returning officer for the election A P Singh announced the results as no other candidate had filed nomination for the three vacant seats as of Friday, the last date for the withdrawal of candidature, said an Assembly official.

Patidar belongs to an OBC community while Valmiki is a Dalit. The BJP's choice of candidates was seen as significant ahead of coming local bodies elections which were delayed over the OBC reservation issue until the Supreme Court resolved it, and the next year's Assembly elections.

Patidar had earlier served as a member of the state Women's Commission, while Valmiki was elected as a corporator of the Jabalpur Municipal Corporation thrice and had also served as an Alderman 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 two BJP Rajya Sabha MPs from the state, M J Akbar and Sampatiya Uike, are ending this month.

Of total 11 Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh, the BJP holds eight and the Congress three seats.

The BJP's 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.