Ahmed Patel files nomination for his fifth Rajya Sabha term

GANDHINAGAR: Political advisor to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Ahmed Patel filed his nomination for his fifth term in Rajya Sabha from Gujarat on Wednesday.

Patel's re-election has come under cloud with recent rebellion by the Congress heavyweight Shankersinh Vaghela and cross voting by the Congress MLAs during the recently held presidential election.

However, speaking to the media after filing his nomination, Patel exuded confidence and said that unlike Presidential election, there will be no cross voting during the Rajya Sabha polls and he will make it back to the upper house. He also thanked Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi for nominating him for the Rajya Sabha.

Patel would need as many as 47 votes out of 182 in the assembly and already Chhotu Vasava, the lone JD(U) MLA and two NCP MLAs have pledged their support for him. However Congress with its 57 MLAs anticipates some 10 MLAs to defect either with Vaghela or to BJP and with the open voting for Rajya Sabha, the defection if at all will be clearer.

Patel however said that he had met Shankersinh on Tuesday and had a good meeting. However on Tuesday, four Congress MLAs apart from Vaghela gave a crucial party meeting on Rajya Sabha polls amiss.

Sources maintain that Congress was in a bind to nominate Patel also because of the fact that any other decision would have sent out a message that the party has developed cold feet post Vaghela’s exit, which would have seriously impacted the poll prospects of the party.

However, BJP is likely to announce its candidates by Wednesday evening as the term of two BJP members Smriti Irani and Dilip Pandya are also coming to an end with that of Patel. In the case that BJP nominates more than two candidates, Patel will have a contest in hand.

Meanwhile Chhota Udepur MLA Mohansinh Rathwa took over as the Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly, the position that had fallen vacant after Shankersinh Vaghela had resigned from Congress.