Rajasthan: Congress Offers Sonia Gandhi RS Seat Formerly Held by Manmohan Singh

GUWAHATI: The congress is preparing to release its list of Rajya Sabha candidate list and it is anticipated that the former president Sonia Gandhi will be fielded from Rajasthan.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, currently representing Rajasthan, is nearing the end of his tenure. Consequently, a call has been made to nominate Sonia Gandhi to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan in his place.

A proposal has been submitted by state president Govind Singh Dotasra and Leader of Opposition Tike Ram Julie, amidst reported differences between the Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot factions regarding the candidate.

"We have requested the national president to make Sonia Gandhi a Rajya Sabha candidate from Rajasthan. If Sonia Gandhi is made the candidate, it will boost the morale of Congress workers," said Tikaram Julie, the leader of the opposition.

The Rajya Sabha elections for three seats in Rajasthan are slated for February 27, 2024. The deadline for filing nominations is February 15, 2024. Among these seats, the tenures of both former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Central Minister Bhupinder Yadav have concluded. The third seat belongs to Dr Kirori Lal Meena, who currently serves as an MLA and minister in the Rajasthan government.

Considering the numbers of MLAs in the state legislative assembly, two seats would go to the BJP and one to the Congress party. Currently, Rajasthan holds 10 seats in the Rajya Sabha, with the Congress holding six and the BJP holding three seats. One seat remains vacant. The upcoming election is expected to increase the BJP's tally by one seat.

If Sonia Gandhi decides to accept a Rajya Sabha seat, it would mark her inaugural term in the Upper House at the age of 77, having previously served five terms as a member of the Lok Sabha. Similarly, if Priyanka Gandhi were to contest the Lok Sabha seats for Raebareli, it would signify her debut election campaign.

During the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Sonia Gandhi declared that it would be her final participation in the general elections.

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