India's ruling BJP chief elected to upper house of parliament

India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah and Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani have been elected to the upper house of parliament (Rajya Sabha) from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's homestate of Gujarat.

Both 50-year-old Shah and Irani got 46 votes each to clinch a comfortable win, according to results announced Wednesday morning. The Rajya Sabha polls were held Tuesday and legislators of the Gujarat assembly voted in the elections.

While the win marked the BJP chief's maiden entry to the Parliament, it was Information and Broadcasting Minister's re-election to Rajya Sabha.

As soon as the results were out, Modi took to social media to congratulate both his close aide Shah and his cabinet colleague.

"Congratulations to Shri @AmitShah on completing 3 successful years as @BJP4India President," he tweeted.

The prime minister also hailed Shah, saying that under his leadership, the BJP has expanded its base in several areas and diligently worked towards nation building.

Shah, a sitting member of the legislative assembly of Gujarat, is credited with the BJP's win in the 2014 general election and this year's assembly election in the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh in the north.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)