The Congress on Friday exuded confidence of sweeping all seven Rajya Sabha seats it is contesting across five states, unveiling a carefully balanced slate of candidates led by party president Mallikarjun Kharge, national spokesperson Pawan Khera and strategist Praveen Chakravarty.
The nominations, announced for the June 18 contests in Karnataka, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, are being viewed within the party as a calibrated political exercise designed to reward loyalists, manage factional equations and strengthen partnerships with regional allies ahead of a crucial round of Assembly elections.
Kharge filed his nomination papers from Karnataka in the presence of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Karnataka Congress president BK Hariprasad, with the party projecting a show of unity as it prepares for the Rajya Sabha polls.
In Karnataka, the Congress has fielded Kharge, Khera and Mansoor Ali Khan for the three seats it expects to win. With 136 MLAs in the 224-member Assembly, the ruling party enjoys a comfortable numerical advantage under the proportional representation system used for Rajya Sabha elections.
Party leaders said the candidate selection process involved extensive consultations among Kharge, Gandhi and Congress general secretary KC Venugopal to avoid factional friction and maintain cohesion within the state unit. The nominations were also aimed at addressing representation concerns within the party.
While Pawan Khera’s candidature was accommodated through the central leadership’s quota, Mansoor Ali Khan’s nomination is being seen as an attempt to respond to long-standing demands for greater minority representation within the organisation.
In Jharkhand, the Congress has nominated Pranav Jha and is banking on the support of the ruling alliance led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren. Party leaders said the alliance comprising the JMM, Congress, RJD and CPI-ML collectively commands 56 MLAs in the 81-member Assembly, well above the 28 votes required to secure a Rajya Sabha seat.
Senior Congress leaders, including AICC in-charge K Raju and Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu, have held consultations with Soren to ensure coordination among alliance partners and prevent any possibility of cross-voting.
Sources said Kharge personally spoke to Soren and urged him to ensure that alliance legislators remain united during the election process.
In Madhya Pradesh, the Congress has fielded former Mandsaur MP Meenakshi Natarajan for the seat being vacated by veteran leader Digvijaya Singh. The BJP has nominated Tarun Chugh and Rajneesh Agarwal for the two seats currently held by the party.
The BJP’s strength of around 165 MLAs in the 230-member Assembly places it in a strong position to secure two seats. However, Congress leaders said they remain confident of retaining one seat despite a reduction in the party’s effective strength because of disqualification proceedings involving Bina MLA Nirmala Sapre and voting restrictions on Vijaypur MLA Mukesh Malhotra.
Party insiders said the contest could become politically significant if the BJP decides to field a third candidate, potentially opening the door for cross-voting and strategic abstentions that may alter the outcome.
In Rajasthan, the Congress has renominated Neeraj Dangi, who filed his nomination papers in Jaipur in the presence of former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. With 67 MLAs in the Assembly, the Congress is comfortably placed to win one of the state’s three Rajya Sabha seats.
Party leaders said Dangi’s re-nomination reflects the leadership’s effort to maintain organisational continuity and preserve social and internal political balance in the state. Sources indicated that Kharge strongly backed Dangi for a second term.
In Tamil Nadu, the Congress has fielded All India Professional Congress chairman Praveen Chakravartywhose candidature gained momentum after receiving support from actor-politician Joseph Vijay and his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.
Congress insiders credited Chakravarty with playing a key role in facilitating engagement between the Congress and TVK after the Assembly election results. He was also among the earliest Congress leaders to publicly advocate a political understanding with Vijay’s party ahead of the next Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
With favourable arithmetic in Karnataka, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, and confidence in alliance backing in Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh, Congress leaders said they remain optimistic about securing a clean sweep in the Rajya Sabha elections.
The elections are also being viewed within the party as an important organisational test ahead of upcoming Assembly contests, with the Congress leadership seeking to project stability, reward loyalists and send a message of internal unity after a series of intense electoral battles over the past year.
– Ends
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