New Delhi: The Congress high command is under pressure to nominate a local leader from Maharashtra to the Rajya Sabha to counter the rivals BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP. According to party insiders, in the previous round of Rajya Sabha elections in 2022, the Congress had nominated Uttar Pradesh leader Imran Pratapgarhi from Maharashtra, which had upset the party MLAs.
This time however the grand old party faces a difficult situation as three of its senior leaders have quit in the recent past and may get a Rajya Sabha nomination from the rival parties. These leaders are former MP Milind Deora, who may get a Rajya Sabha nomination from Shiv Sena, former state minister Baba Siddiqui, who may be nominated to the Rajya Sabha from NCP and former chief minister Ashok Chavan, who may be nominated to the Rajya Sabha from the BJP.
A meeting of top Congress leaders to discuss nominations for the 9 Rajya Sabha seats the party can win was held at the residence of party chief Mallikarjun Kharge on February 12. Former party chief and Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi attended the strategy session along with some senior leaders.
According to party insiders, following the exit of Deora, Siddiqui and Chavan, there is a concern that some of the Congress MLAs close to them may also leave the party or cross-vote during the February 27 Rajya Sabha polls. Congress MLA Zeeshan Siddiqui is the son of Baba Siddiqui, who has joined the NCP led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and may cross-vote.
“In 2022, the Maharashtra MLAs wanted a local face to represent them in the Rajya Sabha but the high command chose an outsider. The same was the case in Rajasthan and Haryana. Of course, it is the prerogative of the party leadership to decide who they nominate to the Rajya Sabha from a state,” a senior AICC functionary said on condition of anonymity.
For the record, the Congress put up a brave face and said that unlike the Shiv Sena and the NCP, which lost their MLAs to rival factions, the grand old party’s MLAs were intact. “All our MLAs are intact. The Congress is strong in the state,” AICC secretary in charge of Maharashtra Ashish Dua told this channel. The Congress had 45 MLAs. Later, Sunil Kedar lost his membership due to a conviction and recently Ashok Chavan resigned bringing the tally to 43.
To be sure, the high command has asked the state leadership to convene a CLP meeting on Feb 14 and Feb 15, the last date for the Rajya Sabha nominations. Besides the Rajya Sabha polls, the political fallout of the recent exit of three senior leaders and the threat of losing more leaders and MLAs will be discussed at the party conclave.
“It is a regular meeting of the MLAs ahead of the Rajya Sabha nominations ending on February 15 as the lawmakers vote in the polls for the upper house of Parliament. Some MLAs may attend on February 14 while some may join on February 15. So, practically it will be a two-day meeting. All the MLAs are together,” former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan told ETV Bharat.
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