The BJP has won two Rajya Sabha seats in Gujarat which were up for by polls following the demise of incumbent members.
The seats, held by senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel and BJP leader Abhay Ganpatray Bhardwaj, had fallen vacant. The new BJP MPs for these seats are Dineshchamdra Jemalbhai Ananyvadiya and Rambhai Harjbhai Mokariya.
In November 2020, Ahmed Patel aged 71 had passed away after battling with COVID-19. He suffered multiple organ failures due to his deteriorating health condition as a result of coronavirus infection.
In 2017 Patel had won the Rajya Sabha seat after Congress leaders had turned rebel, thereby threatening his reelection and paving the way for a potential BJP win.
He subsequently won after the ballots of the two rebel lawmakers were declared invalid by the Election Commission. The two lawmakers had reportedly shown their ballot papers to the BJP workers after casting their mandate.
