Guj Cong MLAs mandate Sonia Gandhi to fix number of RS candidates

Congress MLAs from Gujarat, camping in Jaipur fearing poaching by the BJP in Rajya Sabha elections, have authorised party president Sonia Gandhi to decide on the number of candidates for the March 26 polls.

AICC observers on Tuesday held meetings with Gujarat MLAs, who are camping in Jaipur, to seek their opinion on number of candidates for the RS polls. They met the MLAs both individually and in groups.

A proposal has been passed unanimously authorising party president Sonia Gandhi to decide the number of candidates for elections. The observers will be going to Delhi to meet Gandhi, the party sources said here.

Gujarat Congress has fielded two candidates while the BJP fielded three in the biennial elections for four Rajya Sabha seats to be held on March 26 with the last date for withdrawal of nomination for it falling on March 18.

Five MLAs of the Gujarat Congress have resigned ahead of the RS polls and remaining 68 are camping in a Jaipur's luxury hotel on Delhi Road. The party shifted them to Jaipur from Ahmedabad during the last three days.

The Congress with a strength of 73 party MLAs and the support of independent MLA Jignesh Mevani in the 182-member assembly had been earlier planning to field two candidates but the calculation was disturbed due to the resignation by the five MLAs.

With 74 MLAs, the Congress could have won two seats.