New Delhi: Union Ministers Vilasrao
Deshmukh, Rajiv Shukla, Mukul Roy and BJP leader Arun Jaitley
were today elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha even as NRI
businessman Anshuman Mishra in Jharkhand and Congress leader
Abdul Mannan in West Bengal withdrew from fray.
Hours before the deadline for withdrawal of nominations
for the biennial polls in 15 states ended this evening,
Mishra, whose candidature was proposed by six BJP MLAs
sparking resentment among the party`s senior leaders, withdrew
his nomination.
Mishra dropped out facing the prospect of defeat in the
polls after several senior BJP central leaders revolting
against his nomination which reportedly had the backing of
party chief Nitin Gadkari.
In West Bengal, Mannan pulled out of fray following a
directive from Congress central leadership, avoiding a
possible face-off with its ruling coalition partner Trinamool
Congress and facilitating unchallenged win of Railway Minister
Mukul Roy and 3 other candidates of TMC. A lone opposition
CPI(M) nominee was also elected.
Jaitley was elected from Gujarat for his third successive
term in the upper house from the state.
Deshmukh and Shukla of Congress, NCP`s D P Tripathi and
Vandana Chavan, BJP`s Ajay Sancheti and Shiv Sena`s Anil Desai
were elected uncontested in Maharashtra where voting was
averted by withdrawal of Pune-based builder Sanjay Kakade and
Prakash Binsale, a third NCP candidate, from the fray.
In Madhya Pradesh, Najma Heptullah and cash-vote-for scam
accused Faggan Singh Kulaste are among 4 BJP nominees elected
unopposed besides the lone Congress nominee Satyawat
Chatruvedi, the party`s spokesman.
Superstar-turned-politician Chiranjeevi, former Union
Minister Renuka Choudhary (both from Congress) and former
state Home Minister T Devender Goud of Telugu Desam Party were
elected unopposed in Andhra Pradesh along with three others.
Of the 6 seats in the state, 4 went to Congress and 2 to TDP.
PTI
