Satish Poonia and Alka Gurjar file Rajya Sabha nominations; unopposed election to all three seats almost certain

A total of three candidates—two from the ruling BJP and one from the Congress—have filed nominations for an equal number of Rajya Sabha seats in Rajasthan, as the deadline for filing nominations for the upcoming biennial elections ended on Monday afternoon.

The BJP nominees, Dr. Satish Poonia and Dr. Alka Gurjar, arrived at the party’s state headquarters here this morning and subsequently proceeded to the State Assembly complex along with senior party leaders to file their nomination papers before the Returning Officer.

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Dr. Poonia, a former BJP state president, filed his nomination before Returning Officer Bharat Bhushan Sharma in the presence of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Deputy Chief Ministers Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa, and BJP state president Madan Rathore. He submitted four sets of nomination papers.

Dr. Alka Gurjar, the BJP’s Delhi unit in-charge, filed her nomination in the presence of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, BJP state president Madan Rathore, and her husband, former minister Nathu Singh Gurjar. She submitted two sets of nomination papers.

The lone Congress candidate, incumbent Rajya Sabha MP Neeraj Dangi, had already filed his nomination papers on Friday for a second consecutive term.

The biennial elections are being held to fill three Rajya Sabha seats that are falling vacant upon the completion of the terms of Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, Rajendra Singh Gehlot (both BJP), and Neeraj Dangi (Congress) on June 21, 2026.

The election process commenced with the issuance of the notification on June 1. The deadline for filing nominations expired at 3:00 p.m. on Monday. Scrutiny of nomination papers will be undertaken on Tuesday, while candidates may withdraw their nominations until the afternoon of June 11.

Since only three candidates have entered the fray for three seats, the election of all three candidates unopposed appears to be a foregone conclusion.

However, the formal declaration of their unopposed election can only be made after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations expires on June 11, a spokesperson for the Returning Officer said.