Muristek
Surjewala, Maken, Chidambaram, Jairam bag Congress RS nominations, G 23 leaders Tankha, Wasnik also get in
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 29
Former Haryana minister Randeep Surjewala, ex union ministers P Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh and AICC general secretary Rajasthan Ajay Maken are among ten leaders to bag Congress Party nomination for the ensuing Rajya Sabha elections on June 10.
AICC in charge for Himachal Pradesh Rajiv Shukla has been nominated from Chhattisgarh, and AICC minority cell chief Imran Pratapgarhi has bagged the nomination from Maharashtra.
Importantly, two G 23 leaders to be adjusted among Rajya Sabha nominees today are Vivek Tankha from Madhya Pradesh and Mukul Wasnik from Rajasthan.
Prominent absentees from the current list are G 23 veterans Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma, with indications that Azad might come from Jharkhand, where the JMM will give one seat to the Congress.
Chidambaram will return to Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu with DMK's support. He was previously in the house from Maharashtra.
Congress chief whip in Rajya Sabha Jairam Ramesh will get his fourth term as a Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka, the same state he currently represents.
From Rajasthan, Sonia has also nominated senior UP leader Pramod Tiwari, while ex Lok Sabha MP Ranjeet Ranjan is the second party candidate from Chhattisgarh alongside Rajiv Shukla.
Elections to 55 seats in 15 states are due on June 10.
The Congress is expected to name the RS nominee for elections from Jharkhand tomorrow.
The last date for filing nominations is May 31.
The list presents a mix of veterans and youngsters with Pratapgarhi considered close to AICC general secretary Priyanka Vadra.
Surjewala and Maken have been rewarded for what sources described as "unstinted support to the party and its objectives."