Kharge to file nomination for Rajya Sabha elections tomorrow
Bengaluru, June 4
Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday said that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will file his nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections on Friday.
"Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge is filing the nomination tomorrow at 12.30 pm. Rahul Gandhi is also coming here tomorrow. The Congress Party is really strong. We are very happy. He'll file the nomination. Then the rest of the candidates, the MLCs, will also file the nomination. The five candidates we are putting in, we have named four of them and one we are going to announce tomorrow," Shivakumar told reporters.
On being asked about his first day experience as Chief Minister, the Congress leader said he will strive to fulfil expectations.
"I just had my meetings with all the officers. I will deliver it to the people, whatever we have promised under my leadership of the Congress party. But the expectation was the same on day one," he said.
He praised senior Congress leader BK Hariprasad, who is new Karnataka Congress chief, calling him a loyal and experienced party worker with a long parliamentary career.
"He's a very senior, loyal Congress worker. Four times Rajya Sabha MP. We will all join together and work together. It is our duty to bring back the power, and I am fully confident," he aid.
On free bus passes, he said, "This is for the Karnataka students only. We cannot give passes to the outsiders. Any program will be only for the locals. We can't give it to people from any other states..."
Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Khera, Meenakshi Natarajan, Praveen Chakravarty and Pranav Jha are among the Congress candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls.
The party on Thursday declared seven candidates for the biennial elections and bypolls to the Rajya Sabha from five states. Kharge, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, has been re-nominated from Karnataka.
His term in the Upper House will end later this month.Khera, who is Chairman of Congress Media and Publicity Department, has made it to the list and has been fielded from Karnataka.
The party has also fielded Mansoor Ali Khan the state.Natarajan has been fielded from Madhya Pradesh and Neeraj Dangi has been re-nominated from Rajasthan.Congress has fielded Praveen Chakravarty from Tamil Nadu and Pranav Jha from Jharkhand.
The Election Commission had on June 1 issued a notification for biennial elections to 24 Rajya Sabha seats. The last date of filing nominations is June 8.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Rajya Sabha is supposed to be a House of elders and experts. Kharge ji fits that bill. But the way these nominations happen - it's all about political convenience. Wish we had more independent voices in the Upper House instead of party loyalists. Still, all the best to him! 🙏
As an outsider looking in, it's interesting to see how Rajya Sabha nominations work in India. Seems like party leadership is strongly represented. Hope the new members prioritize legislative work over partisan politics. The free bus passes for Karnataka students sound like a good populist move too.
DK Shivakumar saying "Congress Party is really strong" - okay, but actions speak louder than words. The party needs to focus on grassroots work, not just seat-sharing and nominations. Kharge ji is a respected figure though, no doubt about that. Let's see how the new team performs in the Upper House.
Not sure about the "only for locals" policy on bus passes. India is one country, and students from other states contribute to Karnataka's economy too. Maybe a more nuanced approach is needed? Just my two cents. But anyway, congratulations to all the new Rajya Sabha members!
BC, these Rajya Sabha nominations are just a formality. The real question is: will these MPs actually debate important bills or just follow the party whip? Kharge ji has been around for decades, hope he uses his experience to push for meaningful legislation. But I'm not holding my breath! 😅
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.