Manmohan Singh to File Nomination for Rajya Sabha Bypoll from Rajasthan

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will file nomination papers in Jaipur for the Rajya Sabha bypoll from Rajasthan, the Congress said.

The nomination

Sachin Pilot, the state’s Deputy Chief Minister and Congress president, said the party had decided to field Singh, who would submit four sets of nomination papers on Tuesday.

The seat fell vacant when BJP Rajya Sabha MP Madan Lal Saini died in June. Rajasthan sends 10 members to the Rajya Sabha.

The numbers in the assembly

With a majority in the assembly, the Congress was expected to win the seat for Singh, who is 86. Of the 200-member House, two seats were vacant. The party position was:

• Congress: 100, plus one for its ally the Rashtriya Lok Dal
• BJP: 72
• BSP: 6
• Bharatiya Tribal Party, CPI(M) and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party: two each
• Independents: 13

The Congress also has the backing of the BSP members and of 12 of the 13 independents.

Singh’s Rajya Sabha record

Singh represented Assam in the Upper House for nearly three decades, serving five straight terms from 1991 to 2019, and was Prime Minister for two terms from 2004 to 2014. His previous term ran out on June 14 this year, and a return from Assam was not possible because the Congress lacked the numbers there and no other seat was available.

Schedule

• Last date for nominations: August 14
• Scrutiny: August 16
• Last date for withdrawal: August 19
• Polling and counting: August 26, with counting at 5 pm

See also: Indian National Congress and elections.

Originally published on 13 August 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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