New Delhi: Several Congress leaders, including actor-turned politician Nagma, on Monday expressed their discontent with the candidates selected by the party high command for the June 10 Rajya Sabha polls. Nagma said Congress president Sonia Gandhi had personally committed to accommodating her in the Rajya Sabha in 2003-04. She added that it has been 18 years since then and asked whether she is less deserving.
“SoniaJi our Congress president had personally committed to accommodating me in RS in 2003/04 whn I joined Congress party on her behest we weren’t in power thn. Since then it’s been 18Yrs they dint find an opportunity Mr Imran is accommodated in RS frm Maha I ask am I less deserving,” Nagma tweeted.
The actor-turned politician also extended her congratulations to all the Congress leaders, who made it to the Rajya Sabha.
“Congratulations to all those who made it to the Rajya Sabha. And to all those who r selected to the Rajya Sabha, ”she wrote on the micro-blogging platform.
Congress leader Sanyam Lodha on his part said the party workers in Rajasthan are disheartened as none have been nominated from the state for the Rajya Sabha.
“The Congress has nominated three Rajya Sabha candidates from Rajasthan, but none of them belong to the state. The party workers are disheartened because of this. I request the party to rethink this and nominate any leader from Rajasthan,” ANI quoted Lodha as saying.
Asserting the party workers from Rajasthan “should also be given an equal opportunity”, Lodha said: “If this does not happen, it will affect the party in the Vidhan Sabha elections next year.”
Earlier on Sunday, the Congress announced its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
The grand old party has fielded P. Chidambaram from Tamil Nadu, Rajeev Shukla and Ranjeet Rajan from Chhattisgarh, Ajay Maken from Haryana and Jairam Ramesh from Karnataka.
Randeep Singh Surjewala, Mukul Wasnik and Pramod Tiwari have been fielded from Rajasthan, Vivek Tankha from Madhya Pradesh and Imran Pratapgarhi from Maharashtra.
The elections will be held to fill 57 Rajya Sabha seats from 15 states falling vacant due to the retirement of members on different dates between June and August.
The last date for filing nominations is May 31.