Nominees of the Congress for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections filed their nomination papers from Rajasthan and Haryana today. However, the party now faces an added challenge in the form of media barons Subhash Chandra and Kartikeya Sharma entering the fray from the two states, respectively, as independent candidates.
Congress leaders Mukul Wasnik, Randeep Singh Surjewala and Pramod Tiwari filed their nominations in Jaipur, accompanied by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot.
Their nominations come in the midst of unease in the state unit over all three nominees being from outside Rajasthan. This puts the onus on Gehlot of ensuring the Congress MLAs and the independent legislators supporting his government toe the party line in the elections.
A candidate would need at least 41 votes to win, with the Vidhan Sabha having a total strength of 200.
Kartikeya Sharma (right) | Facebook account of ITV Network
In the election for four Rajya Sabha seats from Rajasthan, while the Congress was earlier confident of winning three seats, the competition could end up as a close finish for Tiwari after Chandra's entry into the fray. Chandra, the founder of Zee TV and chairman of the Essel Group, has the backing of the BJP and in the event of cross-voting by unhappy Congress MLAs, he could make the going difficult for Tiwari.
However, talking to reporters after the nominations were filed, Pilot expressed confidence that all three Congress nominees will win as the Gehlot government has the support of a total of 125 MLAs.
Chandra's nomination has nevertheless raised the possibility of Gehlot yet again having to sequester the MLAs supporting his government.
In Haryana, AICC general secretary Ajay Maken filed his nomination in the presence of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda. In the 91-member state assembly, Maken would require the backing of 31 members, which is the exact number of MLAs that the Congress has.
With the race already being so tight for the Congress in Haryana, the entry of Sharma, managing director of ITV Network, could make the situation difficult for Maken. Sharma is the son of former Congress leader Venod Sharma. Former Haryana speaker Kuldeep Sharma is his father-in-law.
