NEW DELHI: AT feast two Union ministers are Likely to become victims of the upcoming biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha because of the poor strength of the Congress in the State Assemblies concerned.
The exit Of Minister of Stats for Railways K.C.Lenka from the Council of Ministers appears to be certain because of the Congress is in no position to win any of three parts to fail vacant in Orissa in April.
Prime Minister and Congress President PY Narasimha Rao will also have to choose between retaining one of tis (wo Ministers of Suite from Rajasthan Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Bhubanesh Chaturvedi and Minister of State for Finance Abrar Ahmed as the
Terms of both are ending and the Congress Can got only one of the two seats at stake in the State
The other Ministers who are retiring are Union Welfare Minister Sitaram Kesri and Minister of Suite for Law H.R. Bharadwaj. The Congress has a chance 10 win two of the eight seats from Bihar that are falling vacant and Kesri who is also AICC treasurer is expected to be renominated for one of the two.
Besides Bharadwaj has also drawn the Chief election Commissioners adverse attention as he is one of the 20 members who are under Election Commission investigation for allergically furnishing false residential addresses forgetting elected to the Raya Sabha.
With political Secretary to Congress President Jitendra Prasada reportedly showing keen interest for the lone Seat that the party could win from Uttar Pradesh intense lobbying is expected in the party as there is a Humber of aspirants from the State for the prestigious seat. The ruling party at the Center is confident that the breakaway faction of the Ajit Singh which had claimed Support of at least 18 of the 26 Janata Dal MLAS earlier would be able to get at least nine MLAS to cause a split in the Janata Dal legislature pany in Uttar Pradesh.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 14, 1994
