RS Polls: Owaisi to support TRS

All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday confirmed that his party would support Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in the upcoming elections to the Rajya Sabha from Telangana.

"MIM party has decided to support TRS party candidates in Rajya Sabha elections @TelanganaCMO," tweeted the AIMIM chief.

There will be 59 vacancies in the Rajya Sabha in April, including 17 from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and 12 from the Congress party. Three nominated members - actor Rekha, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and social worker Anu Aga - will also retire then.

Out of the BJP's 17 Rajya Sabha members, eight are union ministers.

Earlier in the day, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda filed his nomination papers as the BJP candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat from Himachal Pradesh.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will contest from Uttar Pradesh and Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from Bihar.

The BJP will field Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot from Madhya Pradesh for another Rajya Sabha term.

Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Mansukh L. Mandaviya and Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Parshottam Rupala will contest election from Gujarat.

Parliamentarian Bhupender Yadav will also be seeking re-nomination from the Rajasthan seat.