Naidu, Jethmalani, Misa file papers for RS poll

PATNA/JAIPUR: With one day left for filing of nominations for the Rajya Sabha biennial elections, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu, noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani and RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s daughter Misa Bharti were among several candidates from different parties who submitted their papers today.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar (R) looks on as RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s daughter Misa Bharti files papers for the Rajaya Sabha poll in Patna on Monday. Grand alliance candidates Ram Jethmalani and Sharad Yadav are also seated in the front row. PTI

Tribune News Service

Patna/Jaipur, May 30

With one day left for filing of nominations for the Rajya Sabha biennial elections, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu, noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani and RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s daughter Misa Bharti were among several candidates from different parties who submitted their papers today.

Elections for 57 seats in the Upper House from 15 states are scheduled to be held on June 11.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s daughter Misa Bharti and noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani filed nomination papers as RJD candidates for the Rajya Sabha poll from Bihar today. Former JD-U president Sharad Yadav and Ram Chandra Prasad Singh also entered the fray as JD-U candidates of the ruling alliance in the state.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad made Jethmalani the party candidate for the RS poll as he was supposed to handle his cases.

In Rajasthan, four BJP candidates—Union Urban Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, party vice-president and Modi loyalist Om Prakash Mathur, member of Dungarpur Royal family Harsh Vardhan Singh and Dalit leader Ram Kumar Verna—filed their nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha poll. Tomorrow is the last day of filing papers.

Naidu reached Jaipur in a chartered plane. He told reporters that he would focus on state’s development and economic growth during his RS tenure, if voted to power. Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and her Cabinet colleagues were present during the filing of nomination papers by him.

In the 200 members Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, the BJP has 160 MLAs, while the Congress has just 24.

Four Rajya Sabha seats would fall vacant as Ashq Ali Tak (Congress) and BJP’s Ram Jethmalani and Vijayendra Pal Singh would retire by July 4. Congress MP Anand Sharma resigned from his seat on March 7.

Harshvardhan is the nephew of former cricket administrator late Raj Singh Dungarpur and grandson of former Rajasthan Assembly Spekaer Laxman Singh.

Shiv Sena flays Cong over PC’s nomination

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Monday hit out at the Congress for nominating former Union minister P Chidambaram from Maharashtra for the Rajya Sabha poll. An editorial in party mouthpiece Saamna said the Congress in Maharashtra has been damaged with Chidambaram being fielded from the state. The newspaper raked up allegations against the former Finance Minister pertaining to the Aircel-Maxis case and the investigations that are reportedly going on against his son Karti. — TNS