Manmohan likely to get elected to RS unopposed

Our Correspondent

Jaipur, August 14

Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is most likely to be elected unopposed as he is the sole nominee for the Rajya Sabha bypoll slated for August 26. No other nomination was filed on the last date today, Returning Officer and Assembly Secretary Pramil Kumar Mathur said. The scrutiny of papers will be done on August 16 and withdrawal would be allowed till August 19 till 3 pm.

With Dr Singh’s election to Rajya Sabha, the Congress will have one representation in the Upper House. As of today, the Congress has no MP in the Lok Sabha on 25 seats from Rajasthan, and nor in a batch of 10 Rajya Sabha seats.

Considering to field a candidate against Dr Singh at its legislative meeting here on Tuesday, the BJP finally decided not to nominate anyone for the bypoll. The Rajya Sabha seat fell vacant after the death of Madan Lal Saini, the state BJP president, on June 24.

The ruling Congress has sufficient MLAs (101, including one of the RLD, in a House of 200), and BSP’s six and 12 of Independents who had joined the Congress earlier this year.

Singh has been a member of the Upper House from Assam for almost three decades. He was an RS member for five consecutive terms from 1991 to 2019. He served as PM for two consecutive terms from 2004 to 2014. His last tenure expired in June this year.