Prakash Javadekar gets Rajya Sabha ticket from MP

The BJP on Friday announced its decision to field Union minister Prakash Javadekar in the June 19 Rajya Sabha election from Madhya Pradesh.

The BJP on Friday announced its decision to field Union minister Prakash Javadekar in the June 19 Rajya Sabha election from Madhya Pradesh.

A vacancy has been created in the BJP-ruled state after Faggan Singh Kulaste, a sitting member of the Upper House from the state was elected to the Lok Sabha in the recent elections.

The process of filing nominations for the election to the Council of States has started and Javadekar will file his nomination papers on Saturday.

Javadekar, a former member of the Rajya Sabha, could not return to the house in January this year when his term expired following the BJP’s decision to bring RPI leader Ramdas Athawale from the western state.

Javadekar was inducted into the council of ministers on May 26 and made minister of state with independent charge of information and broadcasting and environment and forest ministries. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for commerce and industry Nirmala Sitharaman is another non-MP in Modi’s council of minister and she would also have to get elected to either rajya Sabha or the Lok Sabha within the same period.

It was speculated that she would get ticket for Rajya Sabha from Karnataka, but the party on Friday decided to re-nominate sitting MP Prabhakar Khore from the state.