BJP's Satish Poonia, Alka Gurjar, Congress’ Neeraj Dangi elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan
Three candidates, two from the BJP and one from the Congress, were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan on Thursday (June 11, 2026)
Three candidates, two from the BJP and one from the Congress, were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan on Thursday (June 11, 2026) as no one else was in the fray after the deadline to withdraw nominations expired. The returning officer declared Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates Satish Poonia and Alka Gurjar, and Congress' Neeraj Dangi elected unopposed to the Upper House of Parliament. They were declared elected after the last date for withdrawal of candidature passed and the number of validly-nominated candidates was equal to the number of seats to be filled. The biennial election was being held for three Rajya Sabha seats from Rajasthan as the terms of Congress MP Dangi and BJP MPs Rajendra Gehlot and Ravneet Singh are set to end on June 21.
All nine nomination papers filed by the three candidates were found valid during a scrutiny conducted at the Rajasthan Assembly earlier this week. With the election of Poonia and Gurjar, the BJP secured two of the three seats, while the Congress retained one seat through the election of Dangi. "I will raise people-centric issues and highlight the party's ideology in the Upper House. Whatever the party has decided for me, I am completely satisfied with it," Poonia told reporters after he was elected unopposed. Talking to reporters, Gurjar said, "The party leadership has given me this responsibility. I will fulfil it with full dedication and determination." Dangi thanked the Congress leadership for reposing its faith in him and said he will live up to the expectations.
Rajasthan BJP chief Poonia is a prominent Jat leader. He is also in charge of the party's affairs in Haryana. A PhD in geography from the Rajasthan University, Poonia started out in student politics with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and later, rose through the BJP ranks. He has held key organisational positions, including that of the Rajasthan BJP general secretary and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha state president. Poonia was elected as an MLA from Amber in 2018 and became the Rajasthan BJP president in 2019. He has also handled organisational responsibilities in other states, including his current assignment in Haryana. Gurjar is currently a national general secretary of the BJP. A PhD degree holder, Ms. Gurjar has been the State vice-president as well as a spokesperson of the BJP.
She was elected as an MLA from Bandikui in 2013 and has remained active in state and national politics. She comes from a politically-active family. Her husband, Nathu Singh Gurjar, is a senior BJP leader and a former minister in Rajasthan. For Mr. Dangi, this will be his second term in the Rajya Sabha. He has held the post of the Youth Congress state president in the past. Rajasthan has a total of 10 Rajya Sabha seats, equally shared between the BJP and the Congress.
The BriefWire