Congress MP Vivek Tankha on May 30 filed his nomination papers for the June 10 Rajya Sabha elections in the presence of Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Dr. Govind Singh for a second term in the Upper House of Parliament from the State.
Flanked by Mr. Nath and Mr. Singh among the other Congress legislators, the 65-year-old politician, a Supreme Court lawyer who is a sitting member of the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh, presented his nomination papers to State Assembly principal secretary A. P. Singh, who is the returning officer for the polls, in the Vidhan Sabha complex in Bhopal.
Mr. Tankha, a former Madhya Pradesh Advocate General, presented four sets of nominations to the returning officer, the party's senior leader and lawyer, JP Dhanopia, said. Along with Mr. Tankha, the term of two BJP Rajya Sabha MPs from the State, M. J. Akbar and Sampatiya Uike, is also ending in June.
Of the total 11 Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh, the BJP holds eight, while the Congress has the remaining three.
BJP's Rajya Sabha members from the State are Union Ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia, L. Murugan and Dharmendra Pradhan, Akbar, a former Central Minister, Ajay Pratap Singh, Kailash Soni, Sumer Singh Solanki and Uike. Mr. Tankha, former CM Digvijaya Singh and Rajmani Patel are Rajya Sabha members of the Congress.
The last date of filing nomination papers is May 31 and their scrutiny will take place on June 1. The last date of withdrawal of nomination papers is June 3. Results will be declared on the voting day itself. Member of the State Assembly form the electoral college for the Rajya Sabha polls.
