RS polls: All 4 BJP candidates from Guj, including Nadda, file nominations

All four BJP candidates from Gujarat, including party president J P Nadda, filed their nomination papers here on Thursday for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. Besides Nadda, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated party leader from Godhra, Jashvantsinh Parmar, diamond baron Govind Dholakia and BJP leader Mayank Nayak for the election to be held on February 27.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and state BJP chief CR Paatil accompanied Nadda when he arrived at the state legislative assembly complex here to file his candidature.

Returning officer Rita Mehta accepted the papers from these four BJP candidates.

Though a person named Paresh Mulani has also filed his nomination as an independent candidate on Wednesday, his candidature will be rejected during scrutiny as he did not have support of any MLA, which is mandatory as per the rules, Mehta said.

Since no other party has fielded candidates and Thursday being the last day to file nomination papers, these four BJP nominees are likely to be elected unopposed. The Election Commission had on January 29 released the date for the Rajya Sabha elections to 56 seats from 15 states. The elections will be held on February 27.