After Northeast debacle, Cong sets sights on winning back 10 RS seats

The Congress has set its eyes on winning back as many as 10 of the 14 Rajya Sabha seats in the biennial elections in 16 states, nominations for which began with the Election Commission’s notice on Monday.

It is, however, in a position to win clearly only six seats on its own strength while it is banking on other parties in four states.

A party leader said no decision is yet taken on whom to field from among those retiring in April and May as the last date for nomination is still away up to March 12.

The party is not in a position to get re-elected some of its prominent faces like senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi retiring from Rajasthan.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi will have to take a decision whether to get such leaders elected from some other states, though the party sources said he would not impose the “outsiders” on the states.

Six seats that the Congress will be able to win on its own are: 2 out of 4 in Gujarat, 2 out of 4 in Karnataka and one out of five in Madhya Pradesh and one out of 6 in Maharashtra.

It is banking on winning the third seat in Karnataka with the support of the votes of Janata Dal (Secular) of former PM HD Deve Gowda. On the eve of the Karnataka Assembly elections, Deve Gowda can’t take a stand that shows him as pro-BJP, but he may surprise the Congress to let his JD(S) take the third seat.