She will be first member from Gandhi family to enter Rajya Sabha.
Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi is likely to submit her nomination for the Rajya Sabha polls from Rajasthan. The party has requested all its legislators and MPs to remain in Jaipur for two days on Wednesday and Thursday. This will be the first time in the history of the Congress party that a top leader will enter the Upper House of Parliament through the Rajya Sabha.
If there is no last-minute change, Sonia Gandhi is expected to file her nomination in Jaipur on Wednesday and return to Delhi the same day. Her candidacy is expected to face no opposition. Rajasthan is expected to have elections for three Rajya Sabha seats, two of which are likely to go to the ruling BJP, and one to Congress.
BJP has already declared Chunnilal Garasia and Madan Rathore as its candidates. The name has not been announced yet by Congress. National President Mallikarjun Kharge was in Chhattisgarh with Rahul Gandhi in Nyay Yatra on Tuesday. The list of Rajya Sabha candidates can be released any time after his return late night. At present the party has started preparations for Sonia’s nomination. Rahul Gandhi shall also be present for the nomination, taking a day’s break from the Nyay Yatra. The list of Rajya Sabha candidates could be released any time after their return. Meanwhile, the party has started preparations for Sonia Gandhi’s nomination.
While some factions in the party wanted Sonia Gandhi to contest the Lok Sabha elections, she declined due to health reasons. Now, with the decision to send her to the Rajya Sabha, there is speculation that her daughter Priyanka Gandhi may contest from her traditional seat of Rae Bareli. However, Priyanka Gandhi has also expressed interest in going to the Rajya Sabha.
Out of the 56 seats up for election this month, the Congress has ten seats confirmed. However, in Maharashtra, the inclusion of former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan in the BJP has created a challenge for one seat. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka, among other states, had proposed sending Sonia Gandhi to the Rajya Sabha. Sonia, however, has preferred Rajasthan. Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has been a close associate of the Gandhi family, and it is believed that this influence played a role in the party’s decision to choose.
