Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi will file nomination for Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan tomorrow, sources in the party said. There has not been any official announcement yet.
The election for 56 seats including three from Rajasthan is scheduled on February 27, 2024 while the last day of filing nomination is February 15, 2024.
Apart from Rajasthan, she had options to contest from Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. But the party has said to have chosen Rajasthan to send her to the upper house.
Gandhi, who is currently serving her fifth term in Lok Sabha, is in contention for her first stint in Rajya Sabha.
Sources said her son Rahul Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will accompany her when she files nomination in Jaipur.
The 72-year old Sonia Gandhi has been battling ill es for quite some time. Due to bad health she had steeped down from the post of party president last year. Now she is likely to represent the upper house replacing Manmohan Singh, who was elected from this seat.
”It is strategic to field Sonia Gandhi from Hindibelt. Rahul Gandhi is MP from Kerala while Mallikarjun Kharge represents Karnataka – both from South. So, Congress needed a big name to anchor electioneering in North India,” said a senior party leader.
Going by the strength of MLAs in the assembly Congress is slated to win one seat while BJP will bag the other two seats. BJP has already announced its candidates – Madan Rathore and Chunni Lal Garasiya – on Monday.
Both – Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasara and leader of opposition Tikaram Jully – had sent separate proposal to central high command for sending Sonia Gandhi to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan.
Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasara said that he had discussed with all the senior leaders of the party before proposing her candidature from Rajasthan.
“If Sonia Gandhi contests from Rajasthan, it will enthuse the workers and leaders of the state,” said a senior Congress leader.
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