The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided not to field any candidate against former Prime Minister and Congress’ Rajya Sabha candidate from Rajasthan, Manmohan Singh.
The walkover means the party has decided that it will not contest the Rajya Sabha elections from Rajasthan.
Confirming the move, BJP leader and Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria, said that the decision regarding letting Manmohan Singh’s candidature in Rajasthan go unopposed was taken by the central BJP in Delhi.
Earlier on Tuesday, Manmohan Singh filed his nomination in Jaipur for by-polls to a Rajya Sabha seat from Rajasthan.
86-year-old Manmohan Singh was received at the airport by Sachin Pilot, the Deputy Chief Minister and Rajasthan Congress president. Accompanied by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, AICC general secretary in charge for Rajasthan Avinash Pande, Parliamentary Affairs minister Shanti Dhariwal, chief whip Mahesh Joshi, Health minister Raghu Sharma and others, the former prime minister filed the nomination in the chamber of the returning officer and assembly secretary Pramil Kumar Mathur.
Singh filed four sets of nomination papers in the chamber of returning officer in the Rajasthan Assembly and expressed gratitude to the Congress party for nominating him.
“I am very grateful to the Congress party and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and all members of the Congress party for nominating me to this vacant seat in the council of states,” he told reporters after filing the nomination.
He assured to take every possible step or measure to promote the cause of the people of the state.
He also expressed grief over BJP leader Madan Lal Saini’s death in June, which led to the vacancy in the upper house.
Meanwhile, the Congress has full faith in Singh and is confident of him doing good in the state.
“I am happy that the Congress party has made former prime minister Manmohan Singh its candidate for the vacant seat in Rajya Sabha. Manmohan Singh’s personality and experience will benefit us all. I am happy that all of us Congressmen from Rajasthan, Congress MLAs will get a chance to make a former prime minister an MP,” Pilot said.
