Bengaluru (Karnataka)

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has credited party chairperson Sonia Gandhi for his election to the Rajya Sabha, stating that she has consistently provided him with opportunities to serve the people throughout his political career.

Speaking to reporters, Kharge said, "This is my 13th election... I am grateful to Sonia Gandhi. She has given me the opportunities to serve the people..."

Kharge was among four candidates declared yesterday elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka yesterday. The outcome was confirmed following the withdrawal deadline, as only four nominees remained in the contest for the four vacant seats, rendering the previously scheduled June 18 polling unnecessary.

Joining Kharge in the Upper House are educationist Mansoor Ali Khan, son of former Union Minister K Rahman Khan; Congress media and publicity department chairperson Pawan Khera; and M Nagaraja, a former Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) member, who was the sole nominee from the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Officials stated that the contest became uncontested after the scrutiny process led to the rejection of an independent candidate's nomination, leaving exactly four valid candidates for the four seats.

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The Election Commission issued a notification for biennial elections for the 24 Rajya Sabha seats on June 1. The seats include four each in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, three seats each in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, two seats in Jharkhand, and one seat each in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Meghalaya.

Notification was also issued for the Rajya Sabha bypoll for a seat each in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Odisha.