Wary Congress mobilises observers ahead of Rajya Sabha polls

With the party facing tough fight in Rajya Sabha elections, Congress on Sunday decided to send senior leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge and Bhupesh Baghel as party observers to Maharashtra, Haryana and Rajasthan where BJP and independent candidates have queered the pitch.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has been tasked by Congress president Sonia Gandhi to be the Observer in Maharashtra where the party has fielded poet-turned-politician Imran Pratapgarhi, who hails from Uttar Pradesh.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Baghel and newly-elected Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Shukla have been appointed as Observers to Haryana, where the entry of media baron Kartikeya Sharma as independent backed by the BJP and JJP has created trouble for Congress nominee Ajay Maken.

In Rajasthan where independent candidate Subhash Chandra is creating trouble for Congress’ third candidate, Sonia has tasked Treasurer Pawan Kumar Bansal and Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo as Observers.

For the Congress, the toughest fights are in Haryana and Rajasthan.

In Haryana, Congress has 31 MLAs and has adequate votes on paper to get Maken elected. However, with the BJP agreeing to transfer its excess votes to Sharma and if he manages to wean away 2-3 Congress MLAs, it would be trouble for Maken.

Adding more woes to Congress and Maken, senior MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi has said that he would listen to his “inner voice” and choose whom to vote for. Kartikeya’s father Venod Sharma is a former Congress leader and there is a fear that he would swing some Congress votes for his son.

However, Congress sources said Bishnoi has been pacified as the leadership reached out to him. Sources said senior leader P Chidambaram has spoken to him.

Congress has fielded Randeep Surjewala, Mukul Wasnik and Pramod Tiwari from Rajasthan where it hopes to ensure the victory of all the three with votes from independents and others, though there is resentment over not choosing a local for at least one of the three spots.

Tiwari is expected to have a nail-biting finish with the entry of Chandra, currently an independent MP from Haryana who shifted to Rajasthan this time. Chandra will be banking on independents, whom the Congress claims is supporting its government.

Maharashtra is also facing a contest with the BJP fielding a third candidate as Shiv Sena does not have enough votes to get its second candidate through.

While Congress has enough votes to get Pratapgarhi win, the leadership is apprehensive about the prospects as there is resentment over the choice of candidate. Though Wasnik hails from Maharashtra, he was asked to fight from Rajasthan.

Sources said Pratapgarhi was initially chosen from Rajasthan but the state leadership, including Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, appeared to have put their foot down on their candidature owing to local politics and this led to the poet-politician being fielded from Maharashtra.

Leaders from Maharashtra also believe that Pratapgarhi’s choice has not gone down well owing to the heightened polarisation politics played in the state by the BJP and other Hindutva organisations.