DECISION TO FIELD MAKEN FOR RAJYA SABHA POLLS WIDENS RIFT AMONG CONG LEADERS

Congress leader Ajay Makan on Tuesday filed the nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections.

Winning one seat is not going to be a cakewalk for the Congress as some party stalwarts are upset with decision of the party high command of giving ticket to Maken, a parachute candidate.

Congress nominee Ajay Maken accompanied by party leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda and others files his nomination papers for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, on Tuesday.

Thirty Congress MLAs on Monday passed a resolution endorsing the Congress High Command’s decision of candidature of former Union minister Ajay Maken for the Rajya Sabha seat.

Adampur MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi, who is upset with the decision of the Congress High Command after being denied the post of Haryana Congress president, is not in goods terms with other party leaders. He continues to remain absent from the party meetings on civic polls and Rajya Sabha elections. Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda, AICC in-charge Vivek Bansal and Maken were present during the meeting and issue of Bishnoi remained in centre of the discussion.

As many as 31 legislators were elected on Congress ticket in 2019 Assembly elections. Maken requires the support of 30 MLAs and a resolution by Congress Legislative Party for making it to Rajya Sabha from Congress.

If the party failed to convince Bishnoi and he refuses to vote in support of Maken, it is likely to increase the troubles for the party.

Also, Congress stalwart Captain Ajay Yadav, who hails from the OBC category, raised eyebrows on the decision of the party high command saying that Kumari Saleja, former state party president who had resigned recently following rift with Hooda faction, was the strongest clamant for the Rajya Sabha seat.

He even took on the party on Twitter writing that out of 10 Rajya Sabha seats, Saleja should be fielded from one.