BENGALURU: There is a buzz about CM Siddaramaiah having appealed former AICC president Sonia Gandhi to become a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka as there is a likelihood of her not contesting the 2024 LS polls, given her bad health.
On April 2, 2024, the terms of three Congress RS members from Karnataka -- Syed Naseer Hussain, Dr L Hanumanthaiah and GC Chandrashekar -- will end, and Congress, which has 135 MLAs, can retain all the three seats.
It is crucial for Sonia to be an MP as she can retain the 10, Janpath residence, where she has been staying since 1989 when her husband late Rajiv Gandhi was the Leader of Opposition.
It is said that Congress is also planning to send AICC spokesperson Supriya Srinate and renominate Syed Naseer Hussain from Karnataka. AICC president Mallikarjuna Kharge too has suggested Sonia become an RS member from Karnataka, sources said. Siddaramaiah spoke to Sonia during her recent visit here to take part in the Opposition conclave, sources said. Since BJP is planning to ensure that none of the Nehru-Gandhi family members are in Parliament, Congress is planning safer routes for them, they added.
AICC General Secretary and Sonia’s daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra may get nominated to RS from Himachal Pradesh, a senior leader said. It is crucial for the family as former Wayanad Lok Sabha member Rahul Gandhi has been disqualified following his conviction in a defamation case, they added.