Sonia Gandhi is in Jaipur to present her Rajasthani nomination for the Rajya Sabha
Sonia Gandhi, the former president of the Congress, traveled to Jaipur to submit her nomination papers from Rajasthan for the next Upper House elections. The former president of the Congress left her home in Delhi early on Wednesday and is scheduled to present her nomination papers in Jaipur later in the day.
Gandhi’s choice of Rajasthan as her Rajya Sabha seat, according to former chief minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot, confirms the trend and sends a good message to the public and party cadre.
“She had the option to join the Rajya Sabha in any state, but if she had selected Rajasthan, word would go throughout the globe that Sonia Gandhi had made her decision. As with the rest of the globe, discussions on Rajasthan will take place nationwide.This very experienced person is coming to submit her nomination. You can only imagine our collective pride. The NDA government would now be vigilant as well, according to Ashok Gehlot, a former chief minister of Rajasthan.
The 77-year-old politician has served five terms as an MP in the Lok Sabha, but this would be his first stint in the Upper House.
Gandhi, the Lok Sabha member for Rae Bareli, has decided not to run in the next general election. Gandhi, a five-term member of the Lok Sabha, said in 2019 that this will be her last Lok Sabha election.
After assuming the role of President of the Congress, she was first elected in 1999.
After former prime minister Indira Gandhi, who served in the Upper House from August 1964 to February 1967, the Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson would be the second member of the Gandhi family to be elected to the Rajya Sabha.
Political analysts argue that Sonia Gandhi’s decision to run from Rajasthan rather than a southern state where the party is similarly well-positioned to win suggests that the Congress family is not giving up on the Hindi heartland.
RAE BARELI LOK SABHA CONSTITUENCY: WHAT HAPPENS?
There are many rumors that her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra may run in the Lok Sabha elections in two months from the Rae Bareli parliamentary seat, following Sonia Gandhi’s decision to abstain this time.
Priyanka Gandhi may potentially be considered for the Amethi Lok Sabha seat, which Rahul Gandhi formerly held. However, sources say that the party leadership has not yet decided whether or not to allow her to run in the Lok Sabha election.
RAJYA SABHA POLLS
The elections for the 56 Rajya Sabha seats, which come from 15 states, will take place on February 27. The members will retire in April. Nominations must be submitted by February 15th.
There will be elections to fill three Rajya Sabha seats from Rajasthan, and the Congress is well-positioned to win one of them.
When Manmohan Singh, the outgoing prime minister, concludes his six-year term in April, the position will become empty. The Congress has not yet publicly announced a candidate for the Rajya Sabha elections, which are held every two years.
