Gujarat : External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar filed nomination for Rajya Sabha election

AHMEDABAD - External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has formally entered the competition for one of the three Rajya Sabha seats from Gujarat by submitting his nomination papers in Gandhinagar on Monday. The event was attended by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, BJP State President CR Patil, and other members of the State Cabinet.

Dr. Jaishankar filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha election at 12:39 PM at the office established on the assembly premises, as per the BJP's official statement.

The elections, which will decide the holders of three Rajya Sabha seats in Gujarat, six in West Bengal, and one in Goa, are scheduled for July 24. The vote counting will commence on the same day immediately after the polling concludes.

The nomination window closes on July 13, while the last day to withdraw from the race is July 17. The notification for the election was initially issued on July 6.

A Rajya Sabha candidate needs the support of at least 46 MLAs to secure a victory, given the current number of 182 members in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly. Despite this requirement, Congress State President Shaktisinh Gohil announced that the Congress party, which holds just 17 assembly seats, will not field any candidates in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.

Three current BJP Rajya Sabha members from Gujarat – Dinesh Anavadiya, Jugalji Thakor, and S Jaishankar – are set to conclude their tenures on August 18. Notably, out of the 11 Rajya Sabha seats from Gujarat, eight are held by the BJP, while the remaining three belong to the Congress party.