The two vacancies were created following the election of Kamakhya Prasad Tasa and Sarbananda Sonowal to the Lok Sabha, necessitating the selection of new representatives for the Rajya Sabha.
BJP's eighth candidate Sanjay Seth filed his nomination papers in presence of Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya and state BJP president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary along with other ministers here on Thursday.
BJP chief Jagat Prakash Nadda, along with Govindbhai Dholakia, Mayanakbhai Nayak, and Dr. Jashvantsinh Salamsinh, will fight from Gujarat while Chavan will contest from Maharashtra.
The BJP demanded that the votes of NCP leader Jitendra Awhad, Congress leader Yashomati Thakur and Shiv Sena's Suhas Kande be declared invalid.
The ruling Congress, having a majority of 109 legislators, got the votes of two each from Bhartiya Tribal Party (BTP) and CPIM, and 13 Independents.
Patole also said that the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has extended its support to the MVA.
The polling to elect the members of the Upper House of the Parliament on 16 Rajya Sabha seats spread across four states will take place today amid speculations of horse-trading and fears of cross-voting.
The latest on the list is Munni Devi, a washerwoman from Patna, who has been named RJD candidate for the Bihar Legislative Council polls to be held on June 20. The main Opposition party RJD can win a maximum of three seats on the basis of its numbers but the party nominated the unprivileged woman for the coveted post.
Interestingly, Union Minority Affairs Minister, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who is in Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand, is not on this list. His Rajya Sabha term will end in July this year.
The ECI said that voting will be held between 9 am and 4 pm and counting of votes will take place from 5 pm onwards on November 9. The election process will be completed before November 11.
