Page 27 - Rajya Sabha

No cross-voting will be done: BJP hopeful to win Himachal Pradesh RS polls

Voting for 56 Rajya Sabha seats from 15 states, which are falling vacant in April, will be held today

Rajya Sabha polls: SP MLAs skip Akhilesh's dinner, BJP eyes 8 seats in UP

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in the country, the outcome of the polls to the Rajya Sabha is likely to have an impact in the politically crucial state

36% Rajya Sabha candidates declared criminal cases against themselves: ADR

Thirty-six per cent of Rajya Sabha candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves while the average assets of candidates analysed stood at Rs 127.81 crore, according to poll rights body Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The ADR and the National Election Watch analysed the self-sworn affidavits of 58 out of the 59 candidates in the fray for 56 seats in 15 states. The Rajya Sabha polls are scheduled for February 27. Congress candidate from Karnataka G C Chandrashekar was omitted from the analysis due to poorly scanned documents. The analysis found that 36 per cent of the scrutinised candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves. Additionally, 17 per cent of these individuals face serious criminal charges with one candidate having cases related to attempted murder. According to the analysis, eight (27 per cent) out of 30 BJP candidates, six (67 per cent) out of nine Congress candidates, one (25 per cent) out of four TMC candidates, two (67 per cent) o

Urgent action needed to tackle India's carbon emissions: Prakash Javadekar

Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Javadker said as the world grapples with severe climatic upheavals, India's three per cent contribution to carbon emissions demand urgent action. The brunt of climate change falls on the poor and as a responsible nation, it is "incumbent for us to lead the change", the former Union minister for environment, forest and climate change said at the National Movement of U75: Net Zero Workshop for NE Region at the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IITG), here on Tuesday. "With the rise of electric vehicles, infrastructure, and energy efficiency, India is making strides in reducing carbon emissions and achieving G20 targets", he said. As custodians of the environment, Javadekar urged everyone to prioritise watershed development, advocating the mantra, 'save water, generate water; save electricity, generate electricity.' He praised initiatives such as the climate-tracking app for universities and the net-zero workshop as demonstrations of collective commitmen

Maharashtra BJP felicitates new Rajya Sabha MPs including Ashok Chavan

All three of them were elected unopposed to the upper house on Tuesday

Govt not bothered about progressive ideology, claims Sharad Pawar

Senior politician Sharad Pawar has claimed fundamental rights are under attack in the country and the government is not bothered about progressive ideology. A united stand should be taken against "regressive" powers, he said addressing a function on Tuesday after unveiling the memorial of slain Leftist leader Govind Pansare in Maharashtra's Kolhapur city. "Today, power is being misused, free voice suppressed, restrictions are brought on free writing, and news channels are being blocked. This means those in power are not bothered about the attacks on fundamental rights," Pawar alleged. While "regressive" powers are rising in the country, rulers are not at all bothered about the progressive ideology, the NCP Sharadchandra Pawar chief said. He claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes to the Rajya Sabha for only 20 minutes when the issues of common people are discussed and policy decisions taken during Parliament sessions. "At the start of the session, (Prime Minister) bows down at

Sonia, Nadda and Vaishnaw among 41 elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha

The elections were announced to fill 56 vacancies that will arise by April 3

BJP prez Nadda, 3 other party candidates declared elected to RS unopposed

BJP president J P Nadda and three other candidates of the party were declared elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat on Tuesday. There were four vacant Rajya Sabha seats in the state and as many candidates, all of the ruling BJP, had filed their nomination papers. As no other candidates had filed nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha elections from Gujarat on four vacant seats, Returning Officer Reeta Mehta declared all the four BJP candidates, including Nadda, elected unopposed to the Upper House of Parliament, an official said. Tuesday was the last date of withdrawal of nomination forms. Apart from Nadda, the three others candidates elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha were diamond baron Govindbhai Dholakia, BJP leaders Jasvantsinh Parmar and Mayank Nayak.

Hold LS, assembly polls together but not with local body: JD(U) to panel

Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) on Saturday supported holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies but not with local body polls. The party told the high-level committee on 'one nation, one election' that it supports holding Lok Sabha and state assembly polls together. It also said that all local body polls -- municipalities and panchayats -- should be held together. However, the local body polls should not be held alongside elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, it underlined. "... JD(U) would like to extend its support of having simultaneous elections in House of People (Lok Sabha), state legislature together and the election for the third tier, that is, Panchayats and Municipalities should be held simultaneously but separately and not with House of People and state legislature," the JD(U) told the panel headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind. Set up in September last year, the committee is mandated to examine and make recommendations for

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RS nomination filling window ends, many set to get elected unopposed

BJP chief J P Nadda, new party entrant Ashok Chavan and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi are among those in the fray for the Rajya Sabha elections with the deadline for filing of nominations ending Thursday. The biennial elections are scheduled on February 27 in 56 seats - 10 in Uttar Pradesh, six each in Maharashtra and Bihar, five each in West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, four each in Gujarat and Karnataka, three each in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan and Odisha, and one each in Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. However, a majority of the candidates are likely to get elected unopposed. February 20 is the last date of withdrawing candidature. Voting is scheduled to take place from 9 am to 4 pm on February 27 and the counting will be held on the same day from 5 pm onwards. In Uttar Pradesh, eight BJP candidates have filed nominations - former Union minister R P N Singh, former MP Chaudhary Tejveer Singh, state party general secretary Amarpal Maurya,

RS polls: 4 BJP, 1 Cong candidate file nominations from Madhya Pradesh

All four BJP candidates, including Union minister L Murugan, and one Congress candidate from Madhya Pradesh filed their nominations on Thursday for the Rajya Sabha elections to be held later this month. Murugan, BJP Kisan Morcha's national vice president Banshilal Gurjar, state party women's wing chief Maya Naroliya and Valmiki Dham Ashram head Umesh Nath Maharaj, who has been nominated by the BJP, filed their nominations before the returning officer in the state assembly complex here. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, state BJP president V D Sharma and ministers including Kailash Vijayvargiya and Prahlad Patel were present on the occasion. Earlier, Yadav welcomed Umesh Nath Maharaj and Murugan on their arrival in the state capital Bhopal for filing their nominations for the Rajya Sabha polls scheduled on February 27. The Election Commission had on January 29 released the date for the Rajya Sabha elections to 56 seats from 15 states, includ

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 .

RS polls: Praful Patel, Milind Deora & Chandrakant Handore file nominations

NCP leader Praful Patel, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena's Milind Deora and Congress candidate Chandrakant Handore on Thursday filed their nominations for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls from Maharashtra. Patel was accompanied by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sunil Tatkare and ministers Chhagan Bhujbal and Dhananjay Munde when he filed the nomination paper at the state legislature complex here. Talking to reporters after filing the nomination, Patel said, "This (his nomination) is part of a political strategy and things will get clear in the coming days." Handore, a Dalit leader from the Congress, also filed his nomination. He was accompanied by Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders. Deora, whom the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Shinde on Wednesday nominated, also filed his nomination. Deora, a former Union minister, joined the Shiv Sena only last month. While he has been a two-time Lok Sabha member from Mumbai, this will be Deora's .

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw submits nomination for Rajya Sabha polls

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday filed his nomination paper as a BJP candidate for the third Rajya Sabha seat from Odisha. Vaishnaw submitted his papers to Rajya Sabha Election Returning Officer Abanikanta Patnaik in the Odisha Assembly premises. He submitted two sets of paper, an official said. The ruling BJD had on Wednesday announced its support for Vaishnaw's candidature in the Rajya Sabha polls, as it had done in 2019. Vaishnaw, who is the Railways, Communications, Electronics & Information Technology Minister, was accompanied by BJP state president Manmohan Samal and 13 party MLAs while submitting his papers. No BJD leader was present when the Union minister filed his papers. When Vaishnaw had filed his papers for the 2019 Rajya Sabha bypoll, BJD leaders Sasmit Patra and Amar Patnaik were present. Two BJD candidates Debashish Samantaray and Subhasish Khuntia have already filed their nomination papers for the RS polls. Considering the strength of the BJD in the ..

BJP's JP Nadda to file nomination today from Gujarat for Rajya Sabha polls

Bharatiya Janata Party national president JP Nadda will file the nomination for Rajya Sabha from Gujarat on Thursday

Only 4 of 28 outgoing MPs, 2 ministers get RS renomination from BJP

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) announced it will support Vaishnaw's candidature. A former civil servant, Vaishnaw debuted in the RS with the BJD's support in a by-poll in June 2019

Congress announces candidates from 3 states for Rajya Sabha elections

Earlier today, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi filed her nomination for the Rajya Sabha election from Rajasthan

Manmohan Singh to end 33 yrs stint in RS on Apr 3; Sonia to begin first

Former prime minister and Congress leader Manmohan Singh will end his 33-year-long parliamentary innings in the Rajya Sabha in early April, just as former party chief Sonia Gandhi enters the Upper House of Parliament for the first time. Singh, who is known for ushering in several bold reforms in the economy, became a member of the House for the first time in October 1991. He was finance minister in the Narasimha Rao government from 1991 to 1996 and the prime minister from 2004 to 2014. Sonia Gandhi will enter the upper house for the first time from Rajasthan, filling the seat that will fall vacant after 91-year-old Singh completes his tenure on April 3. The Congress leader filed filed her nomination papers in Jaipur on Wednesday. She will be the second member of the Gandhi family to enter the Rajya Sabha after former prime minister and her mother-in-law Indira Gandhi, who had a two-and-a-half-year tenure (from August 1964 to February 1967) as a member of the House. Sonia Gandhi ha

Rajya Sabha elections: Congress fields Sonia Gandhi, Singhvi in first list

The Congress has released the names of four candidates, one each for Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Bihar, for Rajya Sabha biennial elections, slated for Feb 27