New Delhi: Ending days of speculation, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Sunday announced the names of Rajya Sabha nominees for the June 10 polls keeping in view the current political situation and the future challenges. According to a release issued by AICC, the party named Rajeev Shukla and Ranjeet Ranjan as Rajya Sabha nominees from Chhattisgarh, Ajay Maken from Haryana, Jairam Ramesh from Karnataka, Vivek Tankha from Madhya Pradesh, Imran Pratapgarhi from Maharashtra, P Chidambaram from Tamil Nadu and Randeep Singh Surjewala, Mukul Wasnik and Pramod Tewari from Rajasthan.
The party is yet to name a candidate from Jharkhand where the issue is yet to be resolved between Congress and JMM. The last date for nominations is May 31. The list did not contain the names of G23 members Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma as was being speculated after the exit of Kapil Sibal, who is now contesting as an independent candidate backed by the Samajwadi Party.
Party insiders said the final selections were done by Sonia after intense discussions with seniors she factored in the current political situation to decide the names of party nominees for the Rajya Sabha polls. She also tried a mix of youth and experience in finalising the names, said party sources. Shukla, who had missed the bus last time, has been rewarded this year. He is presently AICC in-charge of Himachal Pradesh, which will have Assembly polls later this year.
Read: Priyanka in Rajya Sabha, Congress discussing issue in hush tones
Ranjeet Ranjan is the wife of Bihar leader Pappu Yadav and a former Lok Sabha member. Chidambaram is head of the Task Force 2024 set up by Sonia Gandhi recently to prepare the party for the next Lok Sabha elections. Jairam Ramesh, who was the party chief whip in the Rajya Sabha, is also part of Task Force 2024.
Maken is considered close to Rahul Gandhi and is AICC in-charge of Rajasthan, which will have Assembly polls next year. Vivek Tankha is a former Rajya Sabha member and is a prominent Kashmiri Pandit face of the party besides being an ace lawyer. Mukul Wasnik and Pramod Tewari are both old party hands, who have stayed with the Congress through thick and thin. Tewari is expected to play a crucial role in Uttar Pradesh, where the party wants to revive itself.
Read: After Sibal's exit, speculation over G23 members Azad and Sharma for Rajya Sabha
The two relatively younger nominees are Surjewala, who heads the Communications Department and also the in-charge of Karnataka, which will have Assembly polls next year. He is also part of Task Force 2024. Imran is a young face from Uttar Pradesh and heads the party’s minority department. His appointment was backed strongly by AICC UP in-charge of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and is expected to send a strong message among the Muslims, who used to be the traditional vote bank of the Congress across the country, especially in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
The list also ended speculation over the probability of Priyanka being named as one of the contestants for the RS polls. The Congress is trying to shore up its present strength of 29 in the RS and hopes to take on the BJP in the Upper House of Parliament, said party insiders.
