While senior Congress leaders A.K.
While senior Congress leaders A.K. Antony, Oscar Fernandes, and Mohsina Kidwai are likely to be renominated to the RS from Kerala, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh by the Congress, Union minister Suresh Prabahu is expected to be renominated by the BJP from Maharashtra. Currently, he is the RS member from Haryana.
According to sources, the Congress can get a second from Karnataka with the help of the Janata Dal (Secular). Of the total four members who are retiring in June 2016, two are from the BJP — Union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu and Ayanur Manjunatha — and one is Independent besides Mr Fernandes of the Congress.
The name of former Union minister P. Chidambaram is doing the round in the Congress circles for the second seat. He became the finance minister in the H.D. Deve Gowda government.
From Maharashtra six members are retiring in July 2016. Currently, the Congress and the NCP have two members each while the BJP and the Shiv Sena have one member each. But this time, the Congress and the NCP’s numbers would be reduced as per their strength while he BJP’s numbers would be increased and it can get three seats. Union minister Piyush Goyal would be renominated. Mr Praful Patel of the NCP and Mr Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena would be renominated as well.
