Sonia Gandhi arrives in Jaipur to file nomination for Rajya Sabha elections from Rajasthan

JAIPUR: Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi arrived in Jaipur on Wednesday morning to file her nomination papers for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls. She was accompanied by her son and party MP Rahul Gandhi and her daughter, the party’s general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

The former Congress president will represent Congress from Rajasthan in the upper House of Parliament. Sonia Gandhi, who was Congress president for almost 22 years between 1998 and 2022, is a five-time Lok Sabha MP.

Congress leader Bhanwar Jitendra said that Sonia Gandhi’s arrival would strengthen the party in the desert state. Singh said, “We welcome Sonia Gandhi. The people of Rajasthan welcome her. During the UPA-I and UPA-II governments, a lot of work was done, especially the MNREGA. Sonia Gandhi has worked as Congress president for a long. So, there is great joy among Congress people and the public in Rajasthan. Her arrival will strengthen us”.

#WATCH | Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi arrives in Jaipur, Rajasthan to file her nomination for the Rajya Sabha election.

Her son & party MP Rahul Gandhi and her daughter & party's general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are accompanying her. pic.twitter.com/yskO2N0g8a

— ANI (@ANI) February 14, 2024

Rajasthan LoP Tika Ram Jully said that it will be a matter of pride that the former Congress president will represent Rajasthan in the upper House of Parliament.

“I think if Sonia Gandhi is coming to Rajasthan and filing the nomination today, it will be a matter of pride for us and the entire Rajasthan. This is a historic moment. She is our national leader and the epitome of sacrifice. She has a different aura. Nothing can be more important for Rajasthan than this,” he said.

Sonia Gandhi, who is chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, has been repeatedly elected to Lok Sabha from Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh. The move to file nominations for Rajya Sabha comes ahead of Lok Sabha polls expected to be held in April-May this year. There are 10 Rajya Sabha seats from Rajasthan, out of which six are with the Congress and four with the BJP.

Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had also been a member of Rajya Sabha.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was last elected to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan, is retiring in April this year. The term of Environment Miniter Bhupendra Yadav will come this April. Besides, one Rajya Sabha seat in the state has become vacant after the resignation of the BJP’s Kirodi Lal Meena.

The Congress has not formally declared any candidate for the biennial Rajya Sabha elections in 56 seats from 15 states, scheduled on February 27. The last day of filing nomination papers in February 15.

The term for Rajya Sabha MPs is six years and elections are held after every two years for 33 per cent of the seats. Currently, the Rajya Sabha has a strength of 245 members.

Out of the total 245 members, out of which 233 are representatives of the States and Union territories of Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir (w.e.f. 31.10. 2019) and 12 are nominated by the President. 12 are directly nominated by the President who are veterans in the field of art, literature, sports, science etc.

Based on population, each state is allocated a certain number of candidates in the Upper House. Members of the state legislative assemblies choose Rajya Sabha members through an indirect election system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote (SVT). (ANI)