With four days left to decide candidates for the Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and West Bengal, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday held deliberations with party leaders to finalise the nominations.
Ms. Gandhi held separate meetings with party leaders Shakeel Ahmed, who is in charge of West Bengal, and Mohan Prakash, who looks after Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Party leader Jagmeet Brar, who is in charge of Goa, also met her.
Mr. Ahmed has given a list of some half a dozen aspirants, all local leaders for the single seat in the RS from West Bengal.
In Goa, Shantaram Naik is the sitting member. Former chief minister Luizinho Faleiro and ex Union minister Ramakant Khalap are among the aspirants.
In Gujarat, another term for Ahmed Patel is being seen in party circles as a formality, given the fact that he is the political secretary to the party chief.
From Maharashtra, there have been a lot of aspirants for the lone seat including Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil.
Former Maharashtra minister Rohidas Patil, former MP Uttamsingh Pawar and state Congress spokesman Anant Gadgil are some other prominent aspirants.
Earlier, the name of Planning Commission Deputy Chairman M S Ahluwalia was doing the rounds for the seat, with party circles making it known that whoever is brought from outside the state would be accommodated in the Union Ministry.
The deadline for the nomination is July 12 and the elections will be held on July 22.
