Panaji: BJP candidate Sadanand Shet Tanavade on Tuesday received letter declaring him as elected unopposed for the post of Rajya Sabha seat from Goa.
Tanavade was elected unopposed as the opposition parties had refrained from fielding their candidate.
The BJP candidate was supported by Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and three independents giving him a clear edge in the polls. Tanavade was supported by 33 MLAs and North Goa Member of Parliament Shripad Naik, while the opposition had only seven MLAs and South Goa Member of Parliament Francisco Sardinha with them.
On Tuesday, Returning Officer Namrata Ulman handed over the letter to Tanavade in presence of Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant, BJP State General Secretary Damu Naik and other functionaries.
Talking to reporters after the election, Sawant thanked everyone “including the opposition parties” for their contribution in the election. “I also thank opposition parties for not fielding the candidate and getting Tanavade unopposed in the election,” he said.
The election for lone Rajya Sabha seat in Goa was necessitated as sitting MP Vinay Tendulkar’s tenure is due to expire this month end.
