Rooting for a rival

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections from Jammu & Kashmir. Azad, currently the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, could make it if he finds support from the National Conference and some other political parties. But those rooting for Azad are leaders from his party's arch-rival, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Rajya Sabha veterans such as Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and his junior Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi reportedly find it easier to deal with Azad than his putative successor Anand Sharma. Azad was on leave from the Rajya Sabha for much of the winter session of Parliament and Sharma was the acting Leader of the Opposition. There were many MPs from across the political spectrum, including the BJP, who were eager to know when Azad was likely to return.