13 candidates to UP Council declared elected unopposed

All 13 candidates, including 11 from the BJP and its coalition, were declared elected unopposed for the State Legislative Council on Thursday, the last date for withdrawal of nominations.

Unlike Rajya Sabha polls, only 13 candidates had filed nomination papers against 13 vacant seats and as such no election was required. After the last day of withdrawal of nominations on Thursday, all the 13 candidates were declared elected unopposed. They were also handed over the certificates of their elections.

Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, who had lost the Rajya Sabha berth, finally made it to the UP Council. The Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav had left the seat for him to compensate the loss during Rajya Sabha polls. The SP State President Naresh Uttam was also declared elected.

Two ministers from the Yogi Adityanath government, BJ Mohsin Raza and Dr Mahendra Singh are among ten BJP leaders who got a berth in  state’s Upper House. Others who were elected unopposed from the BJP are Vijay Bahadur Pathak, Vidhya Sagar Sonkar, Ashok Kataria, Ashok Dhawan and four SP turncoats Dr Sarojani Agarwal, Yashwant Singh, Thakur Jaiveer Singh and Bukkal Nawab.

The BJP had parted one seat to its coalition partner Apna Dal (S). Ashish Patel, husband of Apna Dal (S) president and the Union minister of state for health and family welfare, was also declared elected unopposed.

 Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the BJP State President Dr Mahendra Pandey have congratulated all members elected to the UP Council.