BJP’s Poonia & Alka Gurjar, Cong’s Dangi elected unopposed to RS

Jaipur: Rajasthan will send three members to Rajya Sabha without a contest after BJP candidates Satish Poonia and Alka Gurjar and Congress nominee Neeraj Dangi were declared elected unopposed Thursday, following the expiry of the nomination withdrawal deadline, eliminating the need for polling scheduled on June 18.

The biennial election was announced to fill three Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant on June 21 with the retirement of Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, BJP MP Rajendra Singh Gehlot and Congress MP Neeraj Dangi.

With BJP and Congress enjoying clear numerical advantages for two seats and one seat, respectively, in the Rajasthan assembly, the outcome was widely anticipated.

Returning officer Bharat Bhushan Sharma formally declared Satish Poonia, Alka Gurjar and Neeraj Dangi elected unopposed at the Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha and handed over certificates of election to the successful candidates. The tenure of all three newly elected members will continue till June 2032.

The result maintains the existing balance of power between the two major parties in Rajasthan’s Rajya Sabha representation. Of the state’s 10 seats in the Upper House, BJP and Congress now continue to hold five seats each.

The Congress party’s decision to field Dangi again is being viewed as an effort to strengthen its traditional Dalit support base while maintaining internal political balance within the party.

The BJP’s choice of candidates is seen as a strategic move aimed at consolidating two influential communities in Rajasthan. While Poonia is seen as a prominent Jat face, Alka Gurjar’s candidature is expected to strengthen the party’s outreach among Gurjar voters.

The decision to field a woman candidate is also being interpreted as an attempt to underscore the party’s support for women’s representation following the defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha. The bill proposed reservation for women in legislatures and an increase in the strength of the House to 850 members.

With the three seats filled unopposed, the next Rajya Sabha election in Rajasthan is scheduled for June 2028, when the terms of Congress MPs Randeep Singh Surjewala, Mukul Wasnik and Pramod Tiwari, along with BJP MP Ghanshyam Tiwari, are due to end.