The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is considering nominating former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan for one of its three Rajya Sabha seats accrued by the party after its win in the Delhi Assembly Election 2015, according to reports. The seats will be vacated in January, 2018.
File image of former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan. PTI
According to News18, the Delhi chief minister is keen on giving the seats to outsiders rather than party leaders and some party sources told the channel that Rajan's name was also discussed.
Kejriwal's decision to nominate outsiders is to set an example of non-political personalities sent to Parliament by a political party, according to a report in India Today. It also quoted sources as saying that four to five prominent personalities from various fields have been approached for the membership to the Upper House.
In an interview to NDTVlast month, AAP leader Kumar Vishwas said he feels entitled to one of the three Rajya Sabha seats of the party. "I am a human being. I also have ambitions. I and a huge number of my supporters feel that I should go the the Rajya Sabha where I will be an articulate voice against the BJP and the Congress," he told the channel.
However a party MLA told News18 that a few leaders met Kejriwal last month and said that if the party gives the Rajya Sabha ticket to Kumar Vishwas then the image of the party would not be perceived positively.
The decision to pick an economist was taken to have a larger audience outside Delhi in the run up to the general election in 2019.
The decision over whom to nominate has also caused a clash in the party. According to Moneycontrol, there are indications that the rift between Vishwas and Kejriwal has widened. The report further said that Ashutosh Singh and Sanjay Singh are the front-runners for the Rajya Sabha seats.
Intensive discussions are still going on within AAP to decide the names of its Rajya Sabha members, the India Today report said.
Published Date: Nov 08, 2017 01:46 pm | Updated Date: Nov 08, 2017 01:46 pm
