by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group
Sharma is due to retire in July this year from Rajasthan. But the Congress is unlikely to win any of the four RS seats from the state. Therefore, Anand Sharma who is a front ranking leader of the party in Rajya Sabha and considered close to the Gandhis, is being brought to his home state after a long spell. BJP's Bimla Kashyap is retiring and the party will lose a seat which will be a gain for Congress.
The process of holding biennial polls for the 77 Rajya Sabha seats in 20 states will begin next month and will continue until mid June. As many as 21 Congress MPs including two nominated MPs are retiring and the party is likely to win only 11 seats given its strength in various state assemblies. Two nominated MPs, Manishankar Aiyer & Dr Bhalchandra Mungekar, had joined the party after being nominated. The Congress has 67 MPs in the Rajya Sabha and its strength will dwindle given the current situation.
With regard to Kapil Sibal, the high command is keen to bring him back to the Rajya Sabha as its set to retain three Rajya Sabha seats from Punjab. The biennial poll for seven RS seats will take place soon. While Ambica Soni is sure to retain her seat, the prospects of M S Gill and Ashwini Kumar making it again to the RS are considered bleak. The party is keen to nominate Kapil Sibal who hails from Punjab and had represented Chandni Chowk (New Delhi) Lok Sabha seat until 2014. Punjab PCC chief Capt Amrinder Singh is keen that a third seat be given to a Dalit considering ensuing state assembly polls in early 2017. The Congress wants to regain its Dalit votes in the state. Though names of Manish Tewari and Pratap Singh Bajwa are other contenders for the third seat no final decision has been taken in this regard. The prospects of an outsider in Punjab at this stage is unlikely.
Other leaders like Jairam Ramesh (Andhra Pradesh), Capt Satish Sharma (UP) & Oscar Fernandes (Karnataka) are also retiring. The party is also considering to bring former Union finance minister P Chidambaram in the Rajya Sabha as it is lacking in talent. However, considering allegations against his son and ensuing polls in Tamil Nadu, there is a possibility that he may miss the bus too this round.
￭ Kapil Sibal may return from Punjab
￭ Party keen on Anand Sharma from HP
￭ Uncertainty over Chidambaram, Jairam Special
￭ Party keen on Anand Sharma from HP
￭ Uncertainty over Chidambaram, Jairam Special
Harish Gupta
New Delhi, Feb. 7
Former Union minister and senior counsel Kapil Sibal may return to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab. Though Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh had shown inclination for Sibal, the party high command has signalled its keenness to nominate Anand Sharma from the state.
Former Union minister and senior counsel Kapil Sibal may return to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab. Though Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh had shown inclination for Sibal, the party high command has signalled its keenness to nominate Anand Sharma from the state.
Sharma is due to retire in July this year from Rajasthan. But the Congress is unlikely to win any of the four RS seats from the state. Therefore, Anand Sharma who is a front ranking leader of the party in Rajya Sabha and considered close to the Gandhis, is being brought to his home state after a long spell. BJP's Bimla Kashyap is retiring and the party will lose a seat which will be a gain for Congress.
The process of holding biennial polls for the 77 Rajya Sabha seats in 20 states will begin next month and will continue until mid June. As many as 21 Congress MPs including two nominated MPs are retiring and the party is likely to win only 11 seats given its strength in various state assemblies. Two nominated MPs, Manishankar Aiyer & Dr Bhalchandra Mungekar, had joined the party after being nominated. The Congress has 67 MPs in the Rajya Sabha and its strength will dwindle given the current situation.
With regard to Kapil Sibal, the high command is keen to bring him back to the Rajya Sabha as its set to retain three Rajya Sabha seats from Punjab. The biennial poll for seven RS seats will take place soon. While Ambica Soni is sure to retain her seat, the prospects of M S Gill and Ashwini Kumar making it again to the RS are considered bleak. The party is keen to nominate Kapil Sibal who hails from Punjab and had represented Chandni Chowk (New Delhi) Lok Sabha seat until 2014. Punjab PCC chief Capt Amrinder Singh is keen that a third seat be given to a Dalit considering ensuing state assembly polls in early 2017. The Congress wants to regain its Dalit votes in the state. Though names of Manish Tewari and Pratap Singh Bajwa are other contenders for the third seat no final decision has been taken in this regard. The prospects of an outsider in Punjab at this stage is unlikely.
Other leaders like Jairam Ramesh (Andhra Pradesh), Capt Satish Sharma (UP) & Oscar Fernandes (Karnataka) are also retiring. The party is also considering to bring former Union finance minister P Chidambaram in the Rajya Sabha as it is lacking in talent. However, considering allegations against his son and ensuing polls in Tamil Nadu, there is a possibility that he may miss the bus too this round.
