Budania elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha

Congress nominee Narendra Budania was today declared elected unopposed in by-election held to fill a seat to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. Mr Budania was the lone candidate who had filed nomination for the bypoll necessitated following the death of BJP Member K L Balmiki. He was declared elected unopposed by the Returning Officer H R Kudi after lapse of the deadline for the withdrawal of nomination at 1500 hrs today. This is his second entry in the Rajya Sabha. Earlier, he was elected to the Upper House in August last year in bypoll on seat vacated by Jaswant Singh (BJP) after his election to the Lok Sabha from Darjeeling and was due to retire next month. A three-time Lok Sabha MP, Mr Budania(55) was elected to the Lower House in 1984 from Churu Parliamentary constituency and was re-elected in 1996 and 1998 from the same seat. He was also elected to the Rajasthan Assembly from Sardarshahr once in 1993.