Sonia Gandhi
Credit: PTI Photo
Sonia likely to take Rajya Sabha route to Parliament
Shemin Joy
New Delhi: Sonia Gandhi is likely to contest Rajya Sabha elections, most probably from Rajasthan, capping her 25-year Lok Sabha innings, sources said on Monday.
While there is no official announcement, some state units and leaders have already requested Sonia to contest Rajya Sabha elections. State units like Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have officially placed the request.
Sources said the leadership finds Rajasthan the safest, though there are also demands from southern states.
However, Sonia as well as the leadership are not keen to fight from either Karnataka or Telangana. On February 9, DH had reported that a section in the Congress believe that if at all she chooses Rajya Sabha route, she should fight from Rajasthan and not a southern state, as it would reinforce perception that the party is more south-focused after Rahul’s Wayanad foray.
Rajasthan state president Govind Dotasra and Legislature Party leader Tikaram Tully have raised the demand while senior Madhya Pradesh leader Kamal Nath met Sonia and requested her to fight from his state. The Madhya Pradesh unit also has raised the demand.
Sources indicated that Rajasthan is likely to be the state from which she is expected to file nominations. During her first tenure, she represented Amethi which she left for Rahul Gandhi and now there is speculation that she may pass the baton to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Rae Bareli if she decides to finally hang the boot.
On Monday, Sonia attended a meeting of senior leaders where issues related to alliances and the Rajya Sabha election came up for discussion. Sources said the candidate list is likely to come in a couple of days and Bihar Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Ajay Maken are among the contenders. Singhvi, who presently represents West Bengal, may be fielded from a southern state.
On alliances, sources said, the leaders reviewed the situation and expressed hope that issues will be resolved soon. Sources said there is agreement on 38 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra besides forward movement in Jharkhand and Bihar.
Sources said the leaders also discussed how to deal with the emerging situation with Trinamool Congress and AAP.