New Delhi: Mallikarjun Kharge, Pawan Khera, Satish Poonia, Tarun Chugh, and others were among 24 candidates elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha.
Elections for two Jharkhand seats and one Mizoram seat will be held on June 18, with competitive races expected.
The NDA secured 19 seats and Congress five, underscoring strong party control in several states.
In the Northeast, BJP’s Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi from Manipur and Tai Tagak from Arunachal Pradesh, along with NPP’s James Sangma from Meghalaya, were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha. Each state has one seat, and the victories came after no rival nominations were filed. Leaders, including Arunachal CM Pema Khandu and Manipur CM Yumnam Khemchand Singh, lauded the winners for their political experience and potential to represent regional aspirations effectively.
The uncontested outcomes in Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, and Meghalaya reflect the NDA’s entrenched political position in these states. In Manipur, the BJP holds a commanding majority with allied parties, while in Arunachal Pradesh, the BJP-led government faced no opposition for the seat. Meghalaya’s ruling alliance, led by the NPP with BJP as a partner, fielded a consensus candidate, ensuring a smooth victory.
Local political leaders framed these unopposed wins as significant for regional representation in Parliament. Pema Khandu called Tagak’s election a ‘proud moment’ for Arunachal, while Yumnam Khemchand Singh emphasised Sharda Devi’s role in women’s empowerment and inclusive development. Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma described his brother James Sangma’s selection as a unanimous endorsement of his ability to be the state’s voice nationally.
While most Northeastern states saw unopposed results, Mizoram remains the exception, with a contest set for June 18 between ZPM’s K. Laltluangkima and MNF’s Zothansangi Hmar, the first woman from Mizoram nominated for Parliament. With ZPM holding a strong assembly majority, the party enters the contest with a numerical advantage. The Mizoram race is one of only a few competitive battles in this Rajya Sabha cycle.
