Neeraj Shekhar is BJP’s candidate for Rajya Sabha bypoll from Uttar Pradesh

The bypoll was necessitated due to his resignation from the Rajya Sabha to join the ruling party.

Neeraj Shekhar, the son of late Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar who left the Samajwadi Party and joined BJP, was on Thursday announced as the saffron party’s candidate for Rajya Sabha bypoll from Uttar Pradesh.

Neeraj Shekhar, who left the Samajwadi Party and joined BJP, was announced as BJP’s candidate for Rajya Sabha bypoll from Uttar Pradesh. (Virendra Singh Gosain /Hindustan Times)

The bypoll was necessitated due to his resignation from the Rajya Sabha to join the ruling party.

In a statement, the BJP named him as its candidate for the seat for the bypoll to be held on August 26. His win is all but certain due to the overwhelming majority the party enjoys in the state Assembly. The BJP is likely to field defectors from other parties, including former Congress leader Sanjay Sinh and former SP leader Surendra Nagar, as its candidates for the coming bypolls to the House from the state.

Both Sinh and Nagar had resigned from their Rajya Sabha membership to join the BJP.

(The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text, only the headline has been changed)