Gowda, Kharge, 2 BJP nominees elected to Rajya Sabha

Bengaluru: With no other candidates in the fray, Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) supremo HD Deve Gowda, senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and ruling BJP's grassroot cadres Ashok Gasti and Iranna Kadadi were declared elected to the Rajya Sabha unopposed, a poll official said on Friday. "Gowda, Kharge, Gasti and Kadadi have been duly elected unanimously to fill the seats in the Upper House in place of Kupendra Reddy of the JD-S, B.K. Hariprasad and Rajeev Gowda of the Congress, and Prabhakar Kore of the BJP, who are retir­ing on June 25 on the expiration of their term of office," returning off­icer MK Vishalakshi said. Though polling for the biennial poll was sla­ted on June 19 in the event of a contest, the returning officer decl­ared the results after the end of the last date of withdrawal of no­mi­nation, which was Friday, as there were no other candidates in the fray.