Party leadership discusses candidate list as biennial Rajya Sabha elections approach in June.
Even as elections for 24 Rajya Sabha seats are set to take place on 18 June, the Congress is eyeing at least seven berths, with almost half expected from Karnataka, and the candidate list this time could spring several surprises.
On Friday afternoon, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi held a detailed meeting to discuss the Rajya Sabha polls, with multiple party sources indicating that the final list may feature unexpected names.
The Election Commission on Friday announced biennial Rajya Sabha polls for 24 seats across 10 states, along with bypolls for two Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, taking the total number of seats going to polls to 26. Voting is scheduled for 18 June, while the last date for filing nominations is 8 June.
Congress insiders said that, like the previous Rajya Sabha elections earlier this year—when the party named Karamveer Singh Boudh from Haryana and district president A. Sharma from Himachal Pradesh as nominees—this round too could witness surprise selections.
The Congress is expected to gain three Rajya Sabha berths from Karnataka, while from Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the party is expected to secure one berth each. Party insiders added that from Jharkhand, where two seats are going to polls, Congress is expected to claim one seat as part of the alliance arrangement.
With the addition of seven seats, including the retention of one seat each from Karnataka and Rajasthan, the Congress strength in the Rajya Sabha is expected to rise from the existing 29 to 33, giving it an edge over other alliance partners.
Congress sources said that from Karnataka, where party chief Kharge’s Rajya Sabha membership is ending, he is expected to return to the Upper House from the southern state.
For the remaining Karnataka seats, the Congress leadership is considering two additional faces.
According to insiders, one of the Rajya Sabha berths could go to a local leader. Contenders include former Lok Sabha MP D.K. Suresh, brother of Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Congress chief D.K. Shivakumar, and former Khanapur MLA Anjali Nimbalkar.
Sources said Suresh remains a prominent Vokkaliga face in the state and that a Rajya Sabha berth could help retain his political relevance following his Lok Sabha defeat. Similarly, Nimbalkar is viewed as an influential Lingayat woman leader from north Karnataka. Her candidature could strengthen the party’s social representation strategy, especially as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also belongs to the Lingayat community.
For the third seat, the Congress is likely to field a candidate from the central leadership pool or a name directly chosen by the party high command. Sources said the final decision would be taken after further discussions in the coming days.
Similarly, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Neeraj Dangi’s term from Rajasthan is also coming to an end, prompting detailed discussions involving Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal in recent days. Sources said several names are under consideration, including former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, Dangi and Bhanwar Jitendra Singh.
According to party insiders, Gehlot remains the first choice, but if he chooses not to move to the national stage, the leadership may seek his advice on selecting another leader.
Bhanwar Jitendra Singh is also said to be keen on a Rajya Sabha berth and is considered close to the Gandhi family, making him another possible candidate from Rajasthan. Commenting on the situation in Madhya Pradesh, where Congress has 66 MLAs and requires 59 votes for a Rajya Sabha seat, party sources said Digvijaya Singh’s tenure is ending in June and that multiple contenders are in the race. Besides Digvijaya Singh, former chief minister Kamal Nath, Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan, Arun Yadav and state Congress chief Jeetu Patwari are also being discussed. Although Digvijaya Singh has earlier stated that he is not keen on returning to the Rajya Sabha, it remains to be seen whether he changes his position or decides to stay away from Upper House politics altogether.
The Congress is yet to finalise names from Madhya Pradesh, especially after Kamal Nath reportedly met the party leadership in recent weeks expressing interest in a Rajya Sabha berth.
In Jharkhand, two seats are up for election as BJP MP Deepak Prakash’s term is ending, while another seat fell vacant following the death of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha founder Shibu Soren last year.
Party insiders pointed out that Congress wants one Rajya Sabha seat as part of the alliance arrangement and that several names are under consideration, including former Rajya Sabha MP and businessman Dheeraj Sahu, former Union minister Subodh Kant Sahay, Pradeep Balmuchu, former state Congress chief Rajesh Thakur and Bandhu Tirkey.
However, sources claimed that the JMM leadership is keen to contest both seats. Congress state in-charge K. Raju is therefore expected to hold talks with the JMM leadership to finalise a seat-sharing arrangement.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission also announced elections for one Rajya Sabha seat from Tamil Nadu following the resignation of AIADMK leader C. Ve. Shanmugam.
Congress is expected to get the lone seat from Tamil Nadu as part of its understanding with actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
Sources confirmed that the TVK had promised a Rajya Sabha berth to Congress, although final discussions are yet to take place before a formal announcement is made. Party insiders said Praveen Chakravarty, chief of the All India Professionals’ Congress, is likely to get the seat as he played a key role in facilitating the Congress-TVK alliance discussions. It was Chakravarty who had first advocated an alliance with Vijay in Tamil Nadu ahead of the Assembly elections last year, although the Congress eventually decided to remain aligned with the DMK at that stage.
