Digvijay Singh files Rajya Sabha nomination from MP

BHOPAL: Putting an end to his ten-year self- imposed 'exile' from electoral politics, Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh today filed his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha elections from Madhya Pradesh.

The senior Congress leader was accompanied by party state unit president Arun Yadav, Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, Satyadev Katare and some MLAs including his son Jaiwardhan Singh and a large number of party workers as he filed papers before Returning Officer Rajkumar Pandey.

Before reaching the Assembly, Singh and his son went to the Congress office here where they met party office bearers and workers. He thanked Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi and party leaders for giving him a nomination to the Rajya Sabha.

Speaking to reporters after filing his papers, Digvijay said he agreed to take a RS nomination as he is an organisation man and always wanted to devote maximum time to it.

"I told the party leadership that if it asked me to contest the Lok Sabha elections, I would not be in a position to devote proper attention to Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Goa, the three states under my charge right now," he said.

The former CM of Madhya Pradesh also made it clear that his RS nomination did not mean that he cannot contest the Lok Sabha polls.

"However, a final decision on this would be taken by the party high command," he said.

67-year-old Digvijay said it was the right time to become a member of Rajya Sabha.

Asked if his RS route meant that Congress would now field more young faces during the Lok Sabha elections, he said the party has always been promoting youth leadership.