Amit Shah – BJP

BJP chief Amit Shah who is celebrating three years as party President today has a reason to smile as for the first time he will be entering Parliament as a Rajya Sabha member. It was an easy victory for him in one of the three seats of the Gujarat Upper House polls. He gathered votes. The counting was held yesterday.

Smriti Irani – BJP

Union Minister Smriti Irani also made her maiden entry into the upper house from Gujarat by also winning 46 votes. Irani was recently made the Information and Broadcasting Minister after the post fell vacant following the resignation of Venkaiah Naidu, who was appointed NDA’s vice presidential candidate. He won an easy battle against Congress’ Meira Kumar.

Ahmed Patel – Congress

 

BJP chief Amit Shah’s desperate bid to stop Sonia Gandhi’s political advisor Ahmed Patel from entering Rajya Sabha for the fifth time from Gujarat turned futile. Patel had a close shave as he needed 44 votes to win and got exactly the same number. The EC's decision to cancel the votes of two Congress MLAs brought down the requirement for an outright victory for candidate to 44 from 45. Ahmed Patel secured 44, but would have won with even lesser number of votes given the fact that BJP nominee Balwantsinh Rajput could clinch only 38.

Earlier five TMC candidates and a Congress candidate were elected to the Rajya Sabha unopposed from West Bengal after CPM candidate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya's nomination was cancelled due to technical reasons.

Manas Bhunia (West Bengal) – He is a first timer from TMC. He was the former state Congress president. He is he six-time MLA from Sabang of West Midnapore

TMC's chief national spokesperson Derek O'Brien was renominated. Apat from being a politician of the TMS , he is an author, television personality, public speaker and quiz show host. (West Bengal)

 

Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (TMC) - He was earlier elected to the Rajya Sabha the Upper house of Indian parliament from West Bengal in 2011. (West Bengal)

Dola Sen (TMC) – She was also renominated. She was in news earlier this year for allegedly misbehaving in a flight following which the flight wa delayed for 40 minutes.  (West Bengal)

Santa Chetri – She is a former MLA from Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) from the hills who joined the TMC.  (West Bengal)

Pradip Bhattacharya from the Congress was also elected to the Upper House. He is 72-years-old. (West Bengal)

Sampatiay Uikey – She is the present district panchayat president in Mandla and a tribal leader from Madhya Pradesh. She lost the 2013 Assembly Elections.