NEW DELHI, NOV 6: Election for the three Rajya Sabha seats from Delhi may be three months away. But hectic lobbying has begun in the Congress as it is set to bag all of them.At least two AICC general secretaries, Ambica Soni and R.K. Dhawan, top the list of a dozen-odd aspirants. Dhawan lost from New Delhi constituency third time in a row and is now pinning his hopes on making it to Parliament through the Rajya Sabha.Soni is seeking the ticket on the ground that she hails from the Capital and was not given an LS ticket. Since she is considered to be close to AICC president Sonia Gandhi and represents the fairer sex, she is hoping to be accommodated.Another prominent leader who may make it to the Rajya Sabha is Jagpravesh Chandra. He did not contest from his traditional Assembly seat in November last year on the assurance that he may be nominated to the Upper House.The names of M.L. Fotedar, a Gandhi family loyalist, Delhi hotelier Lalit Suri, Jagdish Tytler, who lost the Sadar seat to the BJP by anarrow margin in the recent polls and Sajjan Kumar, who was denied the Lok Sabha ticket, are also doing the rounds for the Rajya Sabha seat.MLA Subhash Chopra, president of the Delhi unit of the party, is also reported to be keen to enter the Rajya Sabha.Raising the banner of revolt in the Delhi party unit, Sajjan Kumar has claimed the support of 20-odd MLAs in a House of 70. He has been impressing upon the party high command that his nomination to the Rajya Sabha alone would undo the alleged injustice meted out to him.The BJP leaders in Delhi are banking on Sajjan Kumar to break the party unit. Legally, elections for the three Rajya Sabha seats are held separately. Therefore, the party with a majority in a House of 70 seats has been winning all the three seats. Since Sajjan Kumar alone is capable of causing a split, he is being encouraged by the Congress dissidents and the BJP.He has been mobilising a campaign to remove Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who had strongly opposed his ticket forthe recently held Lok Sabha polls.Rajesh Khanna is also hoping to be rewarded.
