Balwantsinh Rajput to be BJP’s third candidate contesting from Gujarat for Rajya Sabha election

Balwantsinh Rajput

Balwantsinh Rajput, who joined BJP on Thursday after his resignation from Congress, is set to be BJP’s third candidate contesting for Rajya Sabha elections and will file his nomination on Friday. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani congratulated him on Twitter saying, “Heartiest congratulations to Shri Balvantsinh Rajput on being nominated as BJP candidate for Rajya Sabha election from Gujarat.” Rajput will contest from Gujarat’s third seat for the Rajya Sabha elections going to be held on August 8.

BJP chief Amit Shah and Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani will also contest the Rajya Sabha elections, confirmed Union Minister JP Nadda after BJP’s Parliamentary Party meeting on Wednesday evening. Both the leaders will contest from Gujarat. Irani was recently made the Information and Broadcasting Minister after the post fell vacant following the resignation of Venkaiah Naidu, who was made NDA’s vice presidential candidate.

Heartiest congratulations to Shri Balvantsinh Rajput on being nominated as BJP candidate for Rajya Sabha election from Gujarat.

— Vijay Rupani (@vijayrupanibjp) July 27, 2017

Meanwhile, just ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls, three Congress MLAs in Gujarat considered close to former opposition leader Shankarsinh Vaghela, resigned from the assembly. The resignation of Rajput (who was also the chief whip), Tejashreeben Patel and Prahlad Patel reduced the Congress’s tally to 54 in the 182-seat assembly. The development came at a time when the Congress has fielded its senior leader Ahmed Patel as its candidate for the Upper House.