RS selection in ‘outsider’ row

he Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, is yet to decide on whether or not to field more ‘outsiders’ in the Rajya Sabha elections from the state.

Six seats from the state are going to be vacated by June this year and biennial poll schedule will be announced next month. Out of the six vacancies, five are from the Congress. But the ruling party may only be able to send four this time, and that too with the support of Majlis and Praja Rajyam. And two seats will go to Telugu Desam kitty.

The five retiring members, including one ‘outsider,’ the Union minister, Mr Jairam Ramesh, and other leaders from the Congress, are eagerly waiting for the decision of the Congress president in this regard.

Meanwhile, there is talk in Delhi that Mr Rahul Gandhi is not keen on ‘outsiders’ being sent to Rajya Sabha from various states. He feels that the RS should really represent the states.

When contacted, Mr Ramesh said that he did not know any thing about his re-nomination. “It is all left to the Congress president, I will abide whatever she decides,” he said.

The Union minister for law, Mr Veerappa Moily, who is in charge of party affairs in AP, also said that no guidelines had been framed so far. “We will take a decision when the notification is issued; there is no hurry,” he said.

Sources said the Congress might not prefer to re-nominate those members who had already served two terms in the RS. This means that the former Chief Minister, Mr Nedurumalli Janardhan Reddy, and the former state minister, Mr V. Hanumantha Rao, are out.

The retiring members, Mr J.D. Seelam, and Mr Girish Sanghi, are confident of being renominated.