MJ Akbar BJP's Rajya Sabha nominee from Madhya Pradesh

BHOPAL: The BJP today picked noted journalist and party spokesperson M J Akbar as its nominee to fill the second vacant seat for the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh.

The BJP has already re-nominated senior leader Anil Madhav Dave as its candidate for one of the three seats from Madhya Pradesh.

The announcement on Akbar's nomination to Upper House was made by the party's Central Election Committee in New Delhi today, a senior BJP leader told PTI.

Elections for 57 seats in the Upper House from 15 states are due to be held on June 11.

"Akbar has already arrived in Bhopal for filing nomination papers tomorrow as the BJP candidate," he said.

Congress has fielded senior lawyer Vivek Tanka from its quota, who filed his nomination papers today.

Interestingly, the names of 12 candidates recommended by the state BJP election committee to the Central Election Committee for two Rajya Sabha seats did not have Akbar's name.

However, the veteran scribe pipped them all.

Out of three vacancies from Madhya Pradesh, two seats are with the BJP (Dave and senior journalist Chandan Mitra) while the Congress holds third seat which has been represented by Dr Vijay Laxmi Sadho.