New Delhi: A tussle has started in the Congress for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, in which many senior leaders as well as young faces are hoping for nomination. Elections for 37 seats of Rajya Sabha will be held on March 16. The last date for filing nomination is March 5.
According to party sources, the Congress, which has 27 members, can easily win five seats on its own, one each from Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and two from Telangana, as it has the required number of MLAs there who will vote in the Rajya Sabha elections.
Congress may also get one seat from Tamil Nadu, as it may get the support of the state’s ruling party DMK. In Maharashtra, the opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP), may also get a Rajya Sabha seat.
The four Rajya Sabha members of Congress whose tenure is ending in April include Abhishek Manu Singhvi, KTS Tulsi, Phulo Devi Netam and Rajni Patil. Of these, Singhvi, a Supreme Court lawyer and Congress Working Committee member, is most likely to get another chance, as he represents the party on many important matters and is also a senior spokesperson.
Singhvi’s current tenure began on 28 August 2024 and is scheduled to end on 9 April 2026. Of. After the resignation of Keshav Rao, he was elected unopposed from Telangana. Earlier, Congress had tried to send Singhvi to the Upper House from Himachal Pradesh, but he lost the election due to cross voting by some party MLAs.
Possible names in Himachal
This is the reason why Congress strategists are considering fielding a local face for a seat from Himachal Pradesh. Party sources said that former Union Minister Anand Sharma and former state unit president Pratibha Singh may get a chance from the Congress-ruled hill state.
Congress strategists in Chhattisgarh face a difficult choice whether to re-elect tribal leader Phulo Devi Netam or choose either former Chief Minister and OBC leader Bhupesh Baghel, state party president Deepal Baij or former Deputy Chief Minister TS Singh Deo.
The names of many leaders are in discussion for the one seat that Congress can get from Haryana, including Congress General Secretary Jitendra Singh, Media Head Pawan Kheda, Social Media Head Supriya Shrinet and senior leader Raj Babbar, considered close to Congress Legislature Party leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Kheda and Shrinet regularly defend the party and attack the Modi government on different issues, while Singh is in-charge of the Assam Congress.
Consideration of the name of Justice B Sudarshan Reddy
For the second seat in Telangana, the Congress may field former Supreme Court judge Justice B Sudarshan Reddy, who was the India Alliance candidate in the 2025 vice-presidential election but lost to CP Radhakrishnan.
Sources said that if this does not work out, Justice Reddy can be sent to Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu and minority community leader or senior leader Hanumanth Rao can be elected from Telangana. There has also been some discussion on the possible candidature of Congress (AICC) functionary Praveen Chakraborty, but the DMK may not support him as he had targeted the state government on alliance issues.
Congress secretary in-charge for Telangana, Rohit Chaudhary, told ETV Bharat, “These are very important elections. Talks are on. The party’s top leadership will soon give final approval to the names.”
There will be a meeting between MVA in Maharashtra
In Maharashtra, there is speculation that senior NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar is keen to file nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections, but the Congress wants to clarify whether he plans to merge his party with the NCP, which until recently was led by his rebel nephew and late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. Shiv Sena (UBT) also wants to send its leader to the Upper House. Congress sources said that a meeting of the MVA alliance will be held soon to finalize the name. If no consensus is reached on the candidate, then Congress can again field senior leader Rajni Patil.
Congress secretary in-charge of Maharashtra UB Venkatesh said, “There are claims from all sides. There will be talks within the MVA and then our top leadership will take the final decision in this matter.”
