Prakash Javadekar denied RS ticket as party to support RPI’s Ramdas Athawale from Maharashtra
The BJP on Monday fielded ‘fresh faces’ for the Rajya Sabha elections even as the Congress decided to repose faith in old guards.
The BJP fielded Sambhuprasad Tundiya, lalsinh Vadodiya and Chunibhai Gohil from Gujarat and Ranvijay Singh Judeo from Chhattisgarh. Tundiya, a SC leader, was a BJP member in the previous Gujarat Assembly, while Vadodiya is a former Congress MlA who crossed over to the BJP ahead of the 2012 Assembly election in Gujarat. Gohil belongs to fisherman community and is a former MlA from Veraval-Somnath constituency. Ranvijay is nephew of party stalwart Dilip Singh Judeo, the Bilaspur MP who passed away recently.
In deciding to support the candidature of RPI’s Ramdas Athawale from Maharashtra, the BJP surprisingly denied re-nomination to its chief whip Prakash Javadekar. The BJP’s list also did not include ace parliamentarian and Rajya Sabha veteran SS Ahluwalia, who was being considered from Chhattisgarh. Party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman also could not get a RS ticket from Gujarat.
The Congress’ list was in sharp contrast to that of the BJP. The ruling party fielded KVP Ramchandra Rao, MA Khan and T Subbarami Reddy again from Andhra Pradesh. Party’s general secretary Digvijay Singh got a RS ticket from Madhya Pradesh,and general secretary incharge of Uttar Pradesh Madhusudan Mistry from Gujarat. All these leaders are veteran leaders of the Congress.
Digvijay Singh, the former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh who had taken a vow not to fight any election after drubbing at the hands of Uma Bharti-led BJP in 2003, has for some time been expressing his readiness to contest lS polls.
The name of Sultanpur MP Sanjay Singh is doing rounds as RS candidate from Assam. Singh was being lured by the BJP to contest against Rahul Gandhi from Amethi, but he wanted to be assured about accommodation in the Upper House in case he lost.
Suspense also remains on whether former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit will be fielded from Haryana. Speculation was rife that Dikshit may be fielded from Himachal Pradesh but the AICC on Sunday named veteran Viplove Thakur from the Hill State.