Uttarakhand BJP chief Mahendra Bhatt files nomination for Rajya Sabha

Dehradun: State BJP president Mahendra Bhatt on Thursday filed his nomination for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls from Uttarakhand.

Elections to 56 Upper House seats falling vacant in April will be held on February 27 and Thursday was the last date for filing nominations. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and BJP's national General Secretary Dushyant Gautam besides several other leaders were present as he filed his nomination before the Returning Officer at the State Assembly Secretariat.

Pradesh BJP General Secretary (Organization) Ajeya Kumar, Haridwar MP Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni, Tehri MP Mala Raj Lakshmi Shah and Pauri MP Tirath Singh Rawat were also present apart from all the cabinet ministers and MLAs.

The BJP had announced Bhatt's candidature for the Rajya Sabha on February 11.

Bhatt, a former MLA, would vie for the slot to be left empty by the BJP's national media in-charge Baluni whose tenure comes to an end in April.

Bhatt was elected to the state assembly for the first time in 2002 from Nandprayag.

In 2017, he was elected from Badrinath assembly constituency after a gap of several years during which he held various organisational positions including that of the party's chief whip in the state assembly from 2002-2007.

From 2007 to 2010, Bhatt was state BJP secretary, Garhwal convener and a member of the party's state working committee.

From 2010 to 2012, he served in a position equivalent to a state minister.

Bhatt became the president of Uttarakhand BJP in July 2022, succeeding Haridwar MLA Madan Kaushik.