Constitution Club election: Rajiv Pratap Rudy defeats Sanjeev Balyan in high-profile 'BJP vs BJP' contest

Rudy has been at the helm of the Constitution Club for nearly a quarter of a century.

Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy extended his 25-year-old dominance as secretary (administration) of the Constitution Club management. What many term as one of the most keenly contested election in club's recent history, Rudy, the former Union minister, prevailed over the challenge from fellow party leader Sanjeev Balyan.

Rudy has been at the helm of the Constitution Club for nearly a quarter of a century and was largely credited with reviving it from the largely dilapidated state it had fallen into in the years past. The length of his tenure was also held against him, as his opponents said a fresh team should be elected.

In total, 707 votes were polled, around 679 were cast and another 38 votes were ballots, making it 60% of the electorate, possibly the largest ever for these polls. Rudy won by a margin of 102 votes.

"It's a beautiful victory for all the parliamentarians and all those who came to vote and endorse the relentless effort of the team for thelast two decades... It's a beautiful experience," Rudy told reporters, news agency PTI reported.

The high-stakes election drew participation from marquee members, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah from the BJP and Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party Sonia Gandhi.

Several Union ministers, including Piyush Goyal and Kiren Rijiju, and governors like Shiv Pratap Shukla of Himachal Pradesh, voted as contestants lobbied intensively to rally their supporters.

Rudy has been a dominant presence, winning several uncontested elections before Balyan, spurred by the support from some BJP leaders, with Lok Sabha MP Nishikant Dubey being the most visible campaigner, decided to test the Bihar leader's strength.

While Rudy had listed the addition of numerous facilities to the club and its modernisation under his tenure to seek another term, Balyan was rooting for a change. He claimed that the club should focus on catering to MPs and former MPs and not "outsiders" like IAS and IPS officers.