Meghraj Jain BJP candidate for Rajya Sabha poll in Madhya Pradesh

NEW DELHI: BJP today nominated its senior leader Meghraj Jain as the party's nominee for the Rajya Sabha bypoll in Madhya Pradesh. The seat that fell vacant following the resignation of Kaptan Singh Solanki who became Haryana Governor.

The party's Central Election Committee cleared Jain's name after much deliberations.

71-year-old Jain was a former Rajya Sabha member from May, 2011 to April, 2012 and has been nominated by the party for the remaining part of Solanki's membership. Solanki had resigned on July 27 this year and the seat was declared vacant. His membership will continue till April 2, 2018.

A former RSS member who was also actively associated with the students and youth wings of BJP, Jain was president of the Gau Seva Commission in Madhya Pradesh as also head of Mela Development Authority in the state before the last Assembly elections. Jain has been an RSS Pracharak and later organisation Secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad since 1969. He became the president of Janata Yuva Morcha in Madhya Pradesh in 1977 and zonal organisational secretary of BJP from 1992 to 1995 and BJP's state general secretary from 1998 to 2000.

Party leaders say the choice fell on Jain as local BJP leader after a section of the party in the state "felt discomfort" over "outsiders" repeatedly being nominated to the Rajya Sabha from the state. Prakash Javadekar, Najma Heptulla and Chandan Mitra are RS members from the state. The last date for filing of nominations for the bypoll to the lone seat is September 11 and election, if any, will be held on September 22.