Three AAP candidates elected to Rajya Sabha

new delhi — The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday made its debut entry in the Rajya Sabha when its candidates Sanjay Singh, Sushil Gupta and N.D. Gupta were elected unopposed from Delhi.

Chartered accountant and AAP Accounts Manager N.D. Gupta’s candidature was challenged by the Congress saying he held an office of profit but the complaint was quashed by Returning Officer Nidhi Srivastava.

On Monday evening, the AAP candidates got ‘Certificate of Election’ confirming their election to the Upper House.

The election to the three Rajya Sabha seats from Delhi was necessitated as the tenure of the Congress members now holding the membership is set to expire later this month.

The nomination of the AAP candidates was marred by controversy after party leader Kumar Vishwas publicly expressed disappointment that he was not picked for a Rajya Sabha seat and opposed the nomination of businessman Sushil Gupta.

There was universal acceptance of Sanjay Singh’s nomination and there was no major objection to N.D. Gupta.

Informed sources said that after N.D. Gupta’s candidature was approved, the two covering candidates of the AAP withdrew their nomination, making the three the only ones in the race.

The opposition parties did not nominate any candidate for the seat as the AAP enjoys a brute majority in the 70-member Delhi Assembly. —