Former PM Dr Manmohan Singh files Rajya Sabha nominations from Rajasthan

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday filed mination papers for by-poll to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. He filed mination papers in chamber of returning officer in Rajasthan Assembly, sources said.

He was accompanied by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, AICC general secretary in charge of Rajasthan Avinash Pande, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal, chief whip Mahesh Joshi, Health Minister Raghu Sharma and ors.

seat got vacant after death of BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Man Lal Saini in June. Rajasthan has 10 Rajya Sabha seats.  Congress has majority in state assembly and Singh (86) is likely to win bypoll.  Rajasthan Assembly has 200 seats, two of which are vacant.

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Congress has 100 MLAs and its alliance partner Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) has one seat, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 72, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) 6, Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP), CPI (M) and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) have two seats each.  

Thirteen MLAs are independents and two seats are vacant.  ruling Congress in state also enjoys support of 12 out of 13 independents and BSP legislators. Singh, a veteran Congress leer, was a member of Upper House of Parliament from Assam for almost three deces.

He was a Rajya Sabha member for five consecutive terms from 1991 to 2019 and country's prime minister for two consecutive terms from 2004 to 2014. Singh's tenure in Rajya Sabha ended on June 14 this year and he could t be reminated as Congress did t have strength to send him to Upper House from Assam and re was or vacancy left.

As per schedule released by Election Commission, last date for filing of mination papers is August 14. Scrutiny of papers will be done on August 16. 

last date for withdrawal of minations is August 19.   polling will be held on August 26 while counting of votes will take place on same day at 5 pm. 

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