Bengaluru: JD(S) Supremo and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and BJP candidates Eranna Kadadi and Ashok Gasti have been elected unopposed to the four vacant Rajya Sabha (RS) seats from the State.

Yesterday was the last day for the withdrawal of nomination papers for the RS poll that was scheduled to take place on June 19. As nobody else other than these four candidates remained in the fray, all of them were declared elected unopposed on Friday. Although an independent candidate had filed nomination paper, it was rejected on the grounds that no MLA had proposed his candidature.

Vidhana Sabha Secretary M.K. Vishalakshi, who was also the Electoral Officer, officially declared that H.D. Deve Gowda (JD-S), Mallikarjun Kharge(Congress), Eranna Kadadi and Ashok Gasti (both BJP) have been elected unopposed to the RS.

The four seats had fallen vacant after the completion of the tenure of Prabhakar Kore of BJP, Kupendra Reddy of JD(S) and B.K. Hariprasad and M.V. Rajeev Gowda of the Congress.

While Kharge, Kadadi and Gasti are entering the RS for the first time, Deve Gowda is entering the Upper House for the second time, as earlier he was a member of the House when he was the Prime Minister.