The Hindu : National : BJP fields three candidates from M.P. for Rajya Sabha

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Sunday, Mar 16, 2008
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National

BJP fields three candidates from M.P. for Rajya Sabha

Staff Correspondent

Congress backing an independent candidate

Photo: A.M. Faruqui

Confident: BJP Rajya Sabha candidates Raghunandan Sharma (left), Maya Singh (middle) and Prabhat Jha (right) after filing their nomination papers at the Madhya Pradesh Assembly in Bhopal on Saturday.

BHOPAL: Three Bharatiya Janata Party candidates -- Maya Singh, Prabhat Jha and Raghunandan Sharma -- filed their nomination papers here on Saturday for the three Rajya Sabha seats to be filled from Madhya Pradesh.

Prominent among those present when the candidates filed their papers were Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, BJP’s national executive committee and Rajya Sabha member Sushma Swaraj, State BJP president Narendra Singh Tomar, State Ministers, party functionaries and supporters.

Talking to media persons Mr. Chauhan and Ms. Swaraj maintained that all the three BJP candidates were equally important and could not be graded as first, second and third in terms of priority. Ms. Swaraj exuded confidence while claiming that all the three Rajya Sabha seats would go to the BJP.

BJP national secretary Prabhat Jha told journalists after filing his nomination that the Congress had already accepted defeat as it had chosen to support an independent candidate instead of fielding its own candidate.

Her nomination for a second consecutive term sends a clear message that the BJP is firmly committed to the women’s cause, said Ms. Singh after filing her papers.

The Congress-supported independent candidate, Vivek Tankha, who had filed two sets of papers on Friday, also arrived at the Returning Officer’s chamber in the Assembly building accompanied by Samajwadi Party MLA Sunilam and filed a third set of papers on Saturday.

Mr. Sunilam told journalists that his party chief Mulayam Singh had decided to support Mr. Tankha’s candidature. A letter in this regard has also been received from party leader Amar Singh, he said, adding that a whip has been issued asking all the eight Samajwadi Party MLAs to vote for Mr. Tankha.

Schedule

Now there are four candidates for the three Rajya Sabha seats to be filled from Madhya Pradesh. If none of the forms is rejected and all candidates remain in the race, polling would be held for the biennial election.

The deadline for filing nominations expired on Saturday. Scrutiny will take place on March 17 and the last date for withdrawal of nomination is March 19. Polling, if necessary, will take place on March 28.

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