Cong plans to make political launching tough for Supriya

Mumbai, July 24 (UNI) Still reeling under the humiliation meted out by Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar in the recent Rajya Sabha by-election where industrialist Rahul Bajaj made it to the Upper House of Parliament, Congress is planning to make the political launching of the Maratha strongman's daughter Supriya Sule tough.

NCP is planning to nominate Ms Sule, who joined the party last week, to the Rajya Sabha when the by-elections are announced to fill in the vacancy created after the death of sitting MP Vasant Chavan recently.

Even Ms Sule is not averse to representing her party in the Rajya Sabha, if given a chance.

NCP spokesman Dr Ratnakar Mahajan has said the party is yet to discuss the issue of by-elections, as Mr Chavan's sudden death happened just a few days ago.

While Congress spokesman Hussain Dalwai said his party has also not given a thought to the upcoming by-election.

According to Congress sources, the party is getting into an aggressive mode to settle scores with NCP. ''Ideally, it is decided that if a seat falls vacant due to the demise of a sitting MP or MLA, the seat would go to the party which he or she belonged. But, Mr Vasant Chavan's seat earlier belonged to Mr Sanjay Nirupam, who vacated his membership after resigning from the Shiv Sena,'' sources said.

''NCP staked its claim on grounds that it had the larger number of MLAs. That criteria should have applied to the Congress too during the Rajya Sabha by-elections necessitated due to Mr Pramod Mahajan's death. But, NCP humiliated us by first assuring support and then announcing Bajaj's candidature suddenly,'' sources added.

''We have the option to either compromise every time or get tough,'' they said.

In Mr Bajaj's case and that of Mr P C Alexander's earlier, NCP got the two to contest as Independents and then ensured that they get elected on NCP-Shiv Sena-bjp support without taking the Congress into confidence. But, now Supriya is a formal member of the NCP and the Congress may field its nominee to expose its coalition partner, who will take help of Shiv Sena-BJP, sources mentioned.

Congress wants its candidate in the fray to expose the ''double standards'' of the NCP about its secular credentials.

Kopargaon in Ahmednagar district and Shivajinagar in Pune district are two seats where NCP had finished second and would stake its claim when the sitting Shiv Sena MLAs, who are supporting Revenue Minister and ex-Sena leader Narayan Rane, resign.

Sources said Congress has now the option to ask NCP to give up its claim, if it wants a smooth ride for Supriya in the upcoming Rajya Sabha by-election.

Two of Rane's supporters resigned last week and NCP has already stated that it will not claim these seats --Chimur and Daryapur in Vidarbha region as they come in the Congress quota.

The Congress had finished second in the 2004 Assembly polls.

The by-elections are scheduled after monsoons.

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