Rajya Sabha polls: Independent MLAs meet Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Congress candidates
JAIPUR: Ten of 13 independent MLAs in Rajasthan met Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Congress candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections here on Tuesday night.
Discussions about the Rajya Sabha elections to be held on June 10 took place in the meeting, party sources said.
State Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra and party candidates Mukul Wasnik, Pramod Tiwari and Randeep Singh Surjewal were present on the occasion.
The elections to four seats of the Rajya Sabha in Rajasthan will take place on June 10.
The Congress has fielded three candidates and the BJP one.
Backed by the BJP, media baron Subhash Chandra filed his nomination for the elections to the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, a move that could scuttle the Congress chances of winning a third seat from Rajasthan.
Essel Group chairman Chandra is currently a Rajya Sabha member from Haryana and his term is going to expire on August 1.
The filing of papers by him as an independent prompted Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to allege that the BJP wants to indulge in horse trading.
The ruling Congress in Rajasthan with its 108 MLAs in the state Assembly is set to win two of the four seats going to the elections.
After winning two seats, the Congress will have 26 surplus votes, 15 short of the required 41 to win the third seat.
On the other hand, the BJP has 71 MLAs in the state Assembly and set to win one seat, after which it will be left with 30 surplus votes.
The Congress is expecting support of independent MLAs and legislators of other parties to win the third seat.