Kharge, Pawan Khera Among Four Leaders Elected Unopposed to Rajya Sabha From Karnataka
With no rival candidates in the fray, four nominees from Congress and BJP secure Rajya Sabha seats without a contest.
Four candidates nominated by the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party have been elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka, making a scheduled election unnecessary.
The announcement was made by Assembly Secretary M.K. Vishalakshi after the scrutiny of nominations and the withdrawal period concluded. Since no additional candidates remained in the race, polling that had been planned for June 18 will no longer take place.
Among those elected are Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and senior Congress leader Pawan Khera. Also elected on the Congress ticket is AICC Secretary Mansoor Ali Khan, the son of former Union Minister K. Rahman Khan. The BJP’s sole successful candidate is veteran leader and academic M. Nagaraj.
The vacancies arose due to the completion of terms of four sitting Rajya Sabha members later this month. These include former Prime Minister and JD(S) leader H.D. Deve Gowda, BJP MPs Iranna Kadadi and Narayana Koragappa, and Mallikarjun Kharge, whose term was ending. The Congress leadership decided to renominate Kharge to continue his role in the Upper House.
For Pawan Khera, the election marks a significant milestone as he enters Parliament for the first time. Khera previously served as political secretary to former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and is currently one of the Congress party’s prominent national spokespersons.
Following the declaration of results, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar congratulated the newly elected Congress leaders. He expressed confidence that they would effectively represent Karnataka’s interests and contribute to the state’s development through their work in Parliament.
Speaking to reporters at the Vidhana Soudha, the newly elected members thanked their respective party leaderships for the opportunity. BJP leader M. Nagaraj also expressed gratitude to the party high command for its faith in him and said he had worked closely with the state leadership throughout the nomination process.