Bhopal, June 11 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday formally secured all three Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh after its candidates received certificates of election from the Returning Officer (RO) at the state Assembly.

The certificates were issued to BJP nominees Tarun Chugh, Rajneesh Kumar Agrawal and Mahesh Kewat at the Vidhan Sabha premises in Bhopal. All three were declared elected unopposed following the rejection of the Congress candidate’s nomination.

Of the three BJP members elected, Tarun Chugh is a national General Secretary of the party and is considered a key organisational strategist. Rajneesh Kumar Agrawal is an industrialist from Sagar, while Mahesh Kewat represents the Bundelkhand region.

The development ended what was initially expected to be a contested election. The Congress had fielded former MP Meenakshi Natarajan, but the Returning Officer rejected her nomination earlier this week.

The rejection was based on objections raised during the scrutiny of nomination papers. Officials did not detail the exact grounds, but the decision removed Congress from the electoral fray.

With no other valid nominations, the BJP candidates were elected without voting. The party described the outcome as a result of its legislative majority and organisational strength in the state Assembly.

Party leaders and workers gathered at the Assembly premises and at the party office in Bhopal to welcome the three leaders after they collected their certificates. Slogans were raised as the newly elected members emerged from the Assembly building.

The Congress has challenged the rejection of Natarajan’s nomination. The party staged protests in Bhopal and New Delhi, accusing the Election Commission of denying it a fair opportunity to contest.

With the issuance of certificates, the BJP has retained all three Rajya Sabha seats from Madhya Pradesh that were up for election.

–IANS

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