Azad gets Cong ticket, NC backing for RS election

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 27

The Congress today renominated veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Azad as its candidate for the upcoming biennial election to the Rajya Sabha from Jammu and Kashmir, setting the tone for a tough battle.

Sixtyfive-year-old Azad, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, will get the backing of the National Conference (NC), which agreed to support his candidature today.

The agreement was reached at a meeting between NC working president Omar Abdullah and Congress president Sonia Gandhi at her 10 Janpath residence today.

Azad has already left for Jammu to file his nomination for the February 7 election. Tomorrow is the last date for filing of nominations and scrutiny will be held on January 29.

The J&K election authorities had earlier issued three notifications for elections to four vacancies of the Rajya Sabha. The vacancies are arising due to the expiry of terms of Azad and Saifuddin Soz of the Congress (terms expire February 10) and GN Ratanpuri and Mohammad Shafi of the NC (terms end February 15).

With the BJP and the PDP reaching an agreement for the four seats, it remains to be seen whether Azad manages to carry the day for himself.

Congress leaders admitted that the election would be tough and would not be a cakewalk even though the NC and the Congress were coming together.

The Congress is banking on its combined strength with the NC. Two Independents and CPM’s Yusuf Tarigami are expected to vote for the Congress candidate.