Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi on Thursday congratulated the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s four Rajya Sabha candidates after they were elected unopposed from Gujarat in the biennial elections to the Upper House of Parliament.
The four BJP nominees, Raju Shukla, Mukesh Rathwa, Mansinh Parmar and Jitendra Kanzariya, were declared elected after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended on June 11 with no rival candidates remaining in the contest. In a post on social media platform X, Patel extended his congratulations to the newly elected members and expressed confidence that they would contribute to the state's and country's development.
"Heartiest congratulations to the Bharatiya Janata Party candidates, Raju Shukla, Mukesh Rathwa, Mansinh Parmar and Jitendra Kanzariya, who have been elected unopposed to all four seats in the biennial Rajya Sabha elections from Gujarat," the Chief Minister said.
"Best wishes to all of you for making a valuable contribution towards taking Gujarat and the country to new heights of development through your knowledge and experience," he added. Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi also welcomed the outcome, describing it as a reflection of public confidence in the BJP's leadership.
In a post, Sanghavi said: "Heartiest congratulations to all on the unopposed victory of all Bharatiya Janata Party candidates on all four seats in the biennial Rajya Sabha elections from Gujarat." Calling the result a "triumph of the leadership" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the trust of the people of Gujarat, Sanghavi said he hoped the newly elected members would further strengthen the state's voice in Parliament in the years ahead.
The Election Commission of India had announced elections to four Rajya Sabha seats from Gujarat on June 1. Four candidates filed nominations by the June 8 deadline, and all nomination papers were found valid during scrutiny on June 9.
As the number of candidates matched the number of vacancies and no nominations were withdrawn, Returning Officer and Gujarat Legislative Assembly Secretary Chetan Pandya formally declared all four candidates elected unopposed.
The newly elected members will succeed outgoing Rajya Sabha MPs Ram Mokariya, Narhari Amin, Ramila Bara and Shaktisinh Gohil, whose terms are scheduled to end on June 21. The result further consolidates the BJP's dominance in Gujarat, where the party holds a commanding majority in the state Assembly, allowing it to secure all four Rajya Sabha seats without a contest.