Rajya Sabha polls: BJP fields Rajendra Gehlot from Rajasthan

BJP's Rajasthan vice-president and former jails minister Rajendra Gehlot will be the party's Rajya Sabha candidate from the state. "The party has announced names of Rajya Sabha candidates in Delhi today. From Rajasthan, Rajendra Gehlot will be the party candidate," a spokesperson said.

Gehlot (72), a two-time MLA from the Sardarpura assembly constituency of Jodhpur, was the jails minister during the Bhairon Singh Shekhawat government in the state. He was also imprisoned during the Emergency. The Rajya Sabha elections will be held on three seats in the state.

The ruling Congress will field two candidates. It is yet to announce their names. The three Rajya Sabha seats are presently held by Ram Narain Dudi, Vijay Goel and Narayan Lal Panchariya, all from the BJP.

They will be vacating the seats next month after the completion of their term. The last date for the filing of nominations is March 13 while the scrutiny will be held on March 16. Nominations can be withdrawn by March 18.

If necessitated, polling will take place on March 26 from 9 am to 4 pm. Rajasthan has 10 Rajya Sabha seats and nine of them are held by the BJP.

The Congress Party's only Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan is former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who was elected unopposed last year after a seat fell vacant following the demise of BJP leader Madan Lal Saini. The Congress, which came to power in December 2018, has 107 MLAs in the state assembly. The BJP has 72 MLAs in the 200-member House..