National People’s Party (NPP) vice-president James K. Sangma on Monday filed his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha election from Meghalaya, setting the stage for the election to the lone Upper House seat from the state.
Sangma submitted his nomination before the Returning Officer at the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Secretariat. His candidature was earlier finalised by the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance-II (MDA-II), comprising the NPP, United Democratic Party (UDP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP), and two Independent legislators.
The Rajya Sabha seat is falling vacant with the completion of the term of sitting Member of Parliament Dr W.R. Kharlukhi. The ruling coalition had unanimously backed Sangma as its candidate for the Upper House.
The Election Commission of India has scheduled the biennial Rajya Sabha elections for June 18 to fill 24 seats across 10 states. Voting will be held from 8 am to 4 pm, while the counting of votes will commence at 5 pm on the same day.
With the MDA-II government commanding a comfortable majority in the 60-member Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, Sangma is expected to have a strong advantage in the election.
