by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group
Bajwa ready to quit RS for Manmohan Singh
Option open to Contest Amritsar LS seat
Harish Gupta
New Delhi, Feb 25
The search of a Rajya Sabha seat for former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has ended with sitting Congress RS MP from Punjab Pratap Singh Bajwa ready to vacate his seat for him.
Since Dr Singh is retiring in June after a long stint in Rajya Sabha from Assam, the party was struggling to find a seat for him. The problem was compounded as no biennial RS polls due in 2019 except for two seats in Assam in June and six seats in Tamil Nadu in July. Given the composition of two state assemblies, the Congress cannot win any seat in Assam on its own. The Congress and AIUDF together have 38 votes in the Assam assembly of 126 while the party would need 63 votes to win one RS seat. Therefore, Dr Singh cannot win from Assam.
In Tamil Nadu, the DMK can win only two seats on its own and it has only 10 surplus votes while the Congress has only 8 MLAs in the state Assembly. The DMK expressed its inability to spare one RS seat for Dr Singh as it has to bring back Kanimnozhi, daughter of late M Karunanidhi. Second seat has already been committed to D Raja of the CPI who is also DMK's key ally.
A desperate Congress asked senior party leader Ms Ambica Soni if she could quit her seat from Punjab and contest for the Lok Sabha polls. But she was reluctant citing her age and wants to live peacefully now.
It now transpires that Pratap Singh Bajwa offered to quit and make room for Dr Manmohan Singh. Bajwa is ready to contest in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls.
It is also now emerging from sources in the Punjab Congress that Dr Manmohan Singh himself may contest from the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat. Since the political situation in Punjab is very conducive for the Congress, a section in the party is keen that Dr Singh should give a try and contest from Amritsar. Dr Singh did contest once for Lok Sabha from South Delhi Lok Sabha seat. But he lost to the BJP.
It is not immediately known whether Dr Singh is desirous to contest or given his consent to the suggestions. But he has certainly conveyed to the party that he would like to remain active as a parliamentarian.
Ends
