The Hindu : National : End of innings for Najma?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 28, 2004

National

National

End of innings for Najma?

By Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI, MAY 27. The current term of the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Najma Heptullah, comes to an end on July 4 this year and there seems to be no certainty whatsoever about her getting nominated or elected once again. She has been a member of the Upper House for four consecutive terms since 1985 and its Deputy Chairman for 17 years.

It seems that Ms. Heptullah had arrived at an understanding with the Bharatiya Janata Party prior to the Lok Sabha elections that when her term ended she would get nominated to the Rajya Sabha. In fact, a few months ago there were three vacancies in the nominated category of members. The BJP filled two and kept one pending. Senior party leaders at that time indicated their plan to bring in Ms. Heptullah in as the third nominated member.

Senior party leaders had indicated that Ms. Heptullah wanted to complete her current tenure till July and then accept the BJP's nomination after resigning from the Congress of which she has been a member for decades.

Verdict 2004 has apparently changed all that. The Congress will now fill the third vacancy in the nominated slot with its own nominee. Reports suggest that the Congress will not take kindly to Ms. Heptullah.

The reasons for the Congress displeasure are obvious. For the last several years, Ms. Heptullah has been moving closer to the BJP. She accepted an award from the hands of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief about two years ago and has praised the RSS and the BJP, and, of course, the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The final break with the Congress came when in February this year she said in an interview to Doordarshan that the "foreign origin" of the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, was an issue.

The Election Commission has already notified about 60 vacancies in the Rajya Sabha that will take place over the next two months. Elections are to be held on June 21. The problem in the BJP is that many of their senior leaders such as Yashwant Sinha, Ram Naik, Murli Manohar Joshi, Shahnawaz Husain and Vinay Katiyar have lost the Lok Sabha elections. They will in all probability expect to be accommodated in the Rajya Sabha.

Besides, the Rajya Sabha term of other prominent BJP leaders, including Pramod Mahajan, Jaswant Singh, O.P. Rajagopal, Sangh Priya Gautam, Dilip Singh Judev and B.P. Singhal, is coming to an end. The party president, Venkaiah Naidu's term also ended recently.

The BJP's strength in the Rajya Sabha is 46 and the term of 12 of these will come to an end by July. Jostling for a Rajya Sabha seat has already begun in the party. Given the fact that so many senior leaders of the party have to be accommodated, Ms. Heptullah may find herself left out in the cold.

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