Unopposed Victory for BJP's Ravneet Singh Bittu in Rajasthan Rajya Sabha By-Election

Sunil Kothari, the BJP's substitute candidate, withdrew his nomination for the Rajasthan Rajya Sabha by-election, clearing the path for Union Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu to be elected unopposed. The opposition Congress did not field a candidate, and the election process will be finalized by September 6.

In a significant development, Sunil Kothari, the BJP's substitute candidate for the Rajya Sabha by-election from Rajasthan, withdrew his nomination on Friday. This move clears the path for Union Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu to be elected unopposed.

Initially, three candidates had filed their nomination papers for the by-election. However, Babita Wadhwani's independent nomination was canceled during scrutiny on Thursday, leaving Bittu as the sole candidate standing.

The opposition Congress opted not to field any candidate. With the last date for the withdrawal of nominations set for August 27, voting, if required, will occur on September 3. Counting will take place on the same day at 5 pm, and the entire election process is expected to conclude by September 6. This by-election fills the seat vacated by Congress's KC Venugopal, with the term lasting until June 21, 2026. Rajasthan has ten Rajya Sabha seats, currently split with the BJP holding four and the Congress five seats.