The delay in the CPI(M) decision over whether to abstain or participate in the Rajya Sabha election has put the ruling Congress in a tight spot. The Congress is backing its leader Santosh Bagdodia, a former Union Minister, who is contesting as an independent.
Though its leader, Hannan Moula, and central committee member and Minister in-charge of Rajasthan, have all along been maintaining that the party would stay away from the election, a formal decision is yet to be announced by the CPM which has three members in the Assembly.
The Congress strategy depends on the decision of the CPM. If the party stays away from the election, it would be difficult for the Congress to muster support of the requisite number of MLAs to win the seat.
On the other hand, the confusion about the lone member of the JD(U), an NDA partner, over whether to vote for the BJP candidate was cleared on Monday as national general secretary of the party Chandar Raj Singhvi on Monday said that his party would remain with the BJP.
In another development, the BJP on Monday declared that VP Singh would be its first candidate and Ram Jethmalani would be the second. The decision was taken by the legislature party which met in Jaipur late on Monday evening. Jethmalani was building up pressure on the party leadership to make him first candidate.
Source: The Pioneer By Lokpal Sethi Congress in tight spot
