New Delhi, June 4: Even as elections for 26 Rajya Sabha berths (biennial on 24 seats and bypolls on two seats) is scheduled on June 18, Congress on Thursday renominated party chief Mallikarjun Kharge from Karnataka, while also announced six other candidates including Pawan Khera, Pranav Jha and Meenakshi Natrajan as candidates for the Upper House.
The Congress released the list of seven Rajya Sabha candidates with renomination of Kharge and Neeraj Dangi. Dangi, whose term is coming to an end in June this year has been renominated from Rajasthan.
Kharge will be filing his nomination papers on Friday afternoon in Bengaluru in presence of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi at Vidhana Soudha.
Meanwhile, the party named Khera, Chairman of the media and publicity department and Mansoor Ali Khan from Karnataka.
The party also named Telangana incharge Meenakshi Natrajan from Madhya Pradesh. Few days back, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath had met eith CPP chairperson Sonia Gandhi as well as Kharge at their residence.
A party source said that Kamal Nath, a former Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Minister was keen on contesting the Rajya Sabha elections, but the party chose Natrajan over him.
The party named Pranav Jha, attached with the Congress president office as Rajya Sabha candidate from Jharkhand, where the party is in alliance with the Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.
Few days back, Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu along with Jharkhand incharge has also met Soren to seek one seat for the Rajya Sabha.
Meanwhile, the Joseph C Vijay-led TVK had on Wednesday announced to give one Rajya Sabha seat to Congress, which was necessitated by the resignation of AIADMK’s C Ve Shanguman.
Congress named All India Professional Congress chief Praveen Chakravarty as.its candidate for Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu.
Chakravarty was instrumental in stoichiometry alliance with the TVK and he was the first person to speak openly about alliance with Vijay’s party ahead.of assembly polls in the southern state.
The last date for filing nomination is June 8 and polling is scheduled on June 18.
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