By IANS,
Jaipur : Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani were among the six contestants who filed their nomination papers for the biennial Rajya Sabha election and by-poll slated for June 17 in Rajasthan.
Sharma, the other Congress candidates – Ashaq Ali Tak and Narendra Budhaniya – and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Jethmalani and V.P. Singh filed their nomination papers at the state assembly election office, an official spokesman said. Monday was the last date for filing nominations.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and union Rural Development Minister C.P. Joshi were also present when the Congress candidates filed their nominations.
Former chief minister Vasundhara Raje and state BJP chief Arun Chaturvedi accompanied Jethmalani when he filed his papers. Santosh Bagrodia, the sitting Congress Rajya Sabha MP also filed his nomination papers as an independent as the party did not give him a ticket this time.
The biennial polls will be held for four seats falling vacant after Budhaniya, Bagrodia, Najma Heptuallah, and Lalit Kishore Chaturvedi complete their terms. The by-poll is to fill the seat falling vacant after the death of sitting member BJP’s K.K. Valmiki.