AHMEDABAD: In an anticipated move, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar will officially file his nomination papers today for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat. The announcement was confirmed by a BJP official.

Dr. Jaishankar arrived in Ahmedabad on Sunday and received a warm welcome at the airport by State Minister Raghavji Patel, city Mayor Kirit Parmar, and other prominent BJP members.

Pradeepsinh Vaghela, the General Secretary of the Gujarat BJP, disclosed that Dr. Jaishankar, along with two other Rajya Sabha members from the state whose terms also conclude on August 18, is scheduled to submit his nomination form around noon today.

While the BJP is yet to officially declare the candidates for the three Rajya Sabha seats, which are slated for polls on July 24, Dr. Jaishankar's nomination is widely considered to be certain.

The deadline for filing nominations is July 13, with the withdrawal deadline set for July 17. If necessary, the polling will be held on July 24.

On the other hand, the Congress announced on July 7 that it will not field candidates for the three seats from Gujarat due to a lack of sufficient MLAs in the 182-member state Assembly.

During the 2022 Gujarat Assembly polls, the BJP secured an unprecedented 156 seats, while the Congress experienced its weakest performance in the state, winning just 17 seats.

Out of the 11 Rajya Sabha seats from Gujarat, the BJP currently holds eight, with the remaining three occupied by the Congress.

Of the eight BJP-held seats, the terms of Dr. Jaishankar, Jugalji Thakor, and Dinesh Anavadiya will conclude on August 18.

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