All 10 candidates contesting the Rajya Sabha biennial elections from Uttar Pradesh were declared elected unopposed on Friday, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) securing eight seats and the Samajwadi Party (SP) winning two. The result was confirmed by Ajit Verma, the returning officer for the elections, who is also the Special Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. No voting was required as the number of candidates matched the available seats.
Verma confirmed that all 10 candidates had been declared elected without a contest. He said most of the elected candidates had collected their election certificates by Friday. Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani, the Samajwadi Party candidate, was the only one among the 10 who had not collected his certificate at that point.
Verma also stated that representatives had collected certificates on behalf of some candidates. Representatives of Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav and BJP candidate Radhakant Ojha received the documents on their behalf. The remaining candidates who had collected their certificates completed the formalities following the official declaration of the results.
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The elections became necessary because the terms of 10 Rajya Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh are due to end on November 25. The biennial election process is held to fill seats as members’ terms expire, ensuring continued representation of states in the Upper House of Parliament. Uttar Pradesh, which has the largest allocation of Rajya Sabha seats among Indian states, plays a significant role in determining the composition of the chamber.
The BJP’s eight seats and the SP’s two seats account for all the positions being filled in the state through this election. The unopposed outcome means the elected candidates will take up their places without a polling process for these seats. The official declaration and distribution of certificates mark the completion of the immediate election formalities in Uttar Pradesh.
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