The Hindu : National : A flutter and a touch of glamour

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 17, 2004

National

National

A flutter and a touch of glamour

By Our Special Correspondent

— Photos: Subir Roy, PTI

The BJP leader, Murli Manohar Joshi, filing his nomination papers in Lucknow on Wednesday. Another party candidate, Arun Shourie, is seated beside him.

— Photos: Subir Roy, PTI

The Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, filing his nomination from Maharashtra, in Mumbai on Wednesday. The Chief Minister, Sushilkumar Shinde (right), looks on.

NEW DELHI, JUNE 16. The entry of the Reliance Group Vice-Chairman, Anil Ambani, in the race for the Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh as an independent supported by the Samajwadi Party, has caused more than a flutter in political circles. For the first time, a scion of the all-powerful Reliance group will be taking active part in politics as an associate of a political party.

The immediate fallout was that the Bharatiya Janata Party, which had fielded Lalit Suri, hotelier, as one of its candidates from the State, announced that he would now contest as an independent supported by it.

The Samajwadi Party has not only supported Mr. Ambani but will also add glamour to the Council of States, for one its five candidates is Jaya Bachchan, a Bollywood star and spouse of superstar Amitabh Bachchan.

Quite a stir has also been created by the entry of the Bahujan Samaj Party leader, Mayawati, who won the Lok Sabha seat from Akbarpur. There is no credible explanation as yet about her decision to enter the Rajya Sabha, but there is speculation that the Congress may offer her the Deputy Chairperson's job in the House, a move denied by the BSP. That slot will be vacant after July 4 when the present incumbent, Najma Heptulla's current term in the House comes to an end. But Ms. Heptulla has managed the Rajya Sabha ticket once again — she has already been in the House for four full terms (24 years) — this time from the BJP. Her entry will be smooth as she will contest from Rajasthan where the BJP enjoys a big majority.

Among the leading Congress candidates for the 65 vacancies from 14 States is the Union Minister for Home, Shivraj Patil, who filed his nomination papers in Mumbai today. He had lost the Lok Sabha elections from Latur in Maharashtra. The Union Minister for Programme Implementation, Oscar Fernandes, is contesting from Karnataka, while a third Minister, the former Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha, P.M. Sayeed, will have to wait a while longer to get into the Rajya Sabha. The Congress has plans to bring him in from Delhi against the vacancy created by the resignation of the All-India Congress Committee general secretary, Ambika Soni, who is a candidate for the Rajya Sabha from Punjab. From Uttaranchal, the Congress has fielded Captain Satish Sharma, who lost the Lok Sabha election from Sultanpur having vacated the Rae Bareli seat for the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi. Capt. Sharma is tipped to get a ministerial berth later.

The BJP has fielded a number of prominent candidates: the party president, Venkaiah Naidu from Karnataka; the former Human Resource Development Minister, Murli Manohar Joshi, and the former Disinvestment Minister, Arun Shourie, both from Uttar Pradesh; the former Finance Minister, Jaswant Singh, from Rajasthan; the general secretary, Pramod Mahajan from Maharashtra; the former External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, from Jharkhand; and Dilip Singh Judev, from Chhattisgarh. Dr. Joshi and Mr. Sinha had lost the Lok Sabha elections. A "new entrant" to the BJP who has been accommodated is Captain Jai Narayan Nishad, a former Rashtriya Janata Dal member, who could not be given the Lok Sabha ticket because his constituency, Muzaffarpur, was contested by the Janata Dal (United) chief, George Fernandes. Similarly, the Congress has fielded the former BSP leader, Raashid Alvi, from Andhra Pradesh., in the 13th Lok Sabha. In Uttar Pradesh, there are 11 vacancies and till tonight there are 11 candidates — five of SP plus Mr. Ambani supported by it; two from the BJP plus Mr. Suri supported by it; and two of the BSP, including Ms. Mayawati.

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