Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The BJP candidates for Rajya Sabha election Kavita Patidar and Sumitra Valmiki filed their nomination papers before the returning officer AP Singh on state assembly premises on Tuesday.
Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, several ministerial colleagues, state BJP president VD Sharma and several other prominent BJP leaders were present on the occasion.
Kavita Patidar comes from other backward classes (OBCs) from Malwa region while Valmiki comes from dalit community from Jabalpur in Mahakoshal region.
Whereas Congress relied on the candidature of Vivek Tankha for a second term to him in Rajya Sabha in a row, BJP leadership decided not to repeat the candidature of MJ Akbar and Sampattiya Uike and sprang a surprise on several senior leaders in the party who were in the race of the party ticket, by choosing the two women from two different background as the party candidate.
The election is to be held on three seats of Rajya Sabha, which are going to fall vacant on June 29 due to retirement of the three members- Tankha, Akbar and Uike.
Given both the parties strength in the state assembly all the three candidates- Tankha, Patidar and Valmiki are sure to win the election unopposed.
Tankha filed his nomination papers on Monday.
Patidar expressed her gratitude to the party leadership for her candidature.
Valmiki is also grateful to the party leadership saying, ìIt happens only in the BJP that simple workers like me are chosen for Rajya Sabha.î
Congratulating both the candidates, the chief minister said, ìThis is Bharatiya Janata Party. Sumitra Valmiki had not even imagined (to make it to Rajya Sabha), not to say of her seeking party ticket. For her, filing the nomination papers was very easy as she has no assets to be declared. I asked the collector to see that she reaches here (Bhopal). She has a small house. She comes from Valmiki Samaj and poor family. She is a committed worker of the BJP but she is a good leader who has been elected thrice as a corporator.
The BJP candidate Sumitra Valmiki may look pauper if her assets she has declared in an affidavit at the time of filing of her nomination papers on Tuesday, are compared with that of the Congress nominee Vivek Tankha, a senior advocate.
As per the affidavit, the total deposit in her two bank accounts is Rs 2.50 lakh and she has gold worth Rs 25,000. She didnít have any income in the past five years.
Tankha declared his assets on Monday- moveable assets worth Rs 46.18 crore, immovable assets valued at Rs 42.53 crore while he has properties worth over Rs 7 crore under Hindu Undivided Family (HUF). His wife has moveable assets worth Rs 5.32 crore and immovable properties worth Rs 1.51 crore.
Kavita Patidar has shown moveable assets worth Rs 3.46 lakh and immovable assets worth Rs 46.50 lakh.
