Congress fields Kapil Sibal for Rajya Sabha from UP

Lucknow, May 28: The Congress has fielded former union minister Kapil Sibal as its candidate for Rajya Sabha seat from Uttar Pradesh, a party spokesman said on Saturday.

Sibal will be filing his nomination here on May 30, the spokesman said.

Elections will be held on June 11 for 11 Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant in July and the Congress can barely push one of its candidates, with each successful candidate requiring 36 votes in the 403-member house but the party only having 29 members.

While it was rumoured that the state's ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) had offered a Rajya Sabha seat to Sibal but on the condition that he joins it, the senior leader has stayed put with the Congress.

In such a situation where only a handful of votes would be required for Sibal to be elected, Congress will try to win over "friendly small parties" like Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), which has eight members, rather being seen in "some sort of alliance with the SP", a senior leader told IANS.

IANS