Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley, and two other BJP nominees and the lone Congress candidate Pravin Rashtrapal filed their nomination papers here on Monday for elections to the four seats to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat.
Besides Mr. Jaitley, who has been nominated by the BJP for the third consecutive term from Gujarat, the party has nominated relatively political lightweights Mansukh Mandaviya, who is also the chairman of the state-owned Gujarat Agro-Industries Corporation, and Shankar Vegad. Two prominent party leaders, State BJP spokesman Vijay Rupani and a former minister Kanjibhai Patel, were denied re-nomination.
Ignoring the candidature of the former Chief Minister and Union Minister Shankarsinh Waghela, the Congress has re-nominated Mr. Rashtrapal, a retired income tax official, for a second term.
The party sources said the Congress wanted Mr. Waghela, who has been appointed the chairman of the election campaign committee, to fully concentrate on the elections to the Assembly due in December this year, and that he might also contest the elections.
The BJP sources also indicated that Mr. Rupani and Mr. Patel would be among the party candidates for the Assembly elections.
With only four nominations filed to the four seats falling vacant (three currently held by the BJP and the remaining one by the Congress), all are expected to sail through to the Upper House. As per the present respective party strength in the Assembly, the BJP can claim three and the Congress one seat.
Considering the political differences Chief Minister Narendra Modi has developed lately with the BJP leadership and the lack of warmth in his relationship with Mr. Jaitley, the latter was expected to be shifted to some other State this time, but for the last-minute intervention by Mr. Modi himself. The Chief Minister assured the party leadership and Mr. Jaitley that Gujarat would be ready to re-accommodate him.
In a brief chat with journalists, Mr. Jaitley thanked Mr. Modi and the State party for his re-nomination.
