Guj RS polls on June 19; 5 candidates in fray for 4 seats

Rajya Sabha polls for four seats in Gujarat will be held on June 19, with the ruling BJP and opposition Congress fielding a total of five candidates. Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer S Murali Krishna said voting would be held between 9 am and 4 pm on June 19, while counting of votes will start at 5 pm.

The polls, which were to be held on March 26, were postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Of the four seats which have fallen vacant, the BJP held three and the Congress one.

While Congress has fielded senior leaders Shaktisinh Gohil and Bharatsinh Solanki for the polls, the BJP has fielded Abhay Bhardwaj, Ramila Bara, and Narhari Amin. The election may not have been needed if the BJP had not fielded Amin, a last-minute entry into the race.

In the 182-member Assembly, BJP has 103 MLAs and the opposition Congress 68, down from 73 after five MLAs resigned in March. The Bharatiya Tribal Party has two MLAs, the NCP one.

There is one Independent MLA while seven seats are vacant, two due to court cases while five as the legislators resigned.