Meenakshi Natarajan (file photo)
Digital Desk, Bhopal. A struggle has started in the Congress regarding who will be the successor of former Chief Minister Digvijay Singh for the vacant Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh. All the claimants have started circling the high command. Party leaders believe that OBC class leaders like Jitu Patwari, Arun Yadav and Kamleshwar Patel are also in the race for Rajya Sabha, but the party can send a woman candidate. From this point of view, the claim of former MP Meenakshi Natarajan is being considered strong.
Meenakshi is close to Gandhi family
Actually, Meenakshi is close to the Gandhi family and besides being in-charge of the Panchayat Raj cell, she is in-charge of Telangana. Natarajan is considered a leader dedicated to Congress ideology. According to party sources, last time also Meenakshi's name was final for Rajya Sabha, but on the insistence of Kamal Nath, OBC leader Ashok Singh Yadav was sent.
According to the information received from Congress sources, even before the end of the tenure of Digvijay Singh, the search for candidates for Rajya Sabha member has started in Congress. This time some people want to give seats to the Scheduled Caste category, while some people want to give seats to the upper caste leaders. These days the leadership is emphasizing on giving 50 percent representation to women and youth, due to which the chances of Meenakshi Natarajan's candidature are stronger.
Started career from NSUI
Veteran woman leader of Congress, Meenakshi Natarajan started her political career from NSUI, the youth wing of Congress. She was made the president of the Youth Wing. Due to her popularity, she was also appointed Secretary of Congress and contested and won the election of MP from Mandsaur for the 15th Lok Sabha. In 2014, she again became the Congress candidate from Mandsaur Lok Sabha constituency, but lost. Meenakshi is considered close to Rahul Gandhi. He was made the chairperson of the screening committee for the Delhi Assembly elections. Currently she is in-charge of Telangana Congress, which shows her confidence in the central leadership of the party.
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High command will decide: Patel
Congress's chief spokesperson Shailendra Patel says that the decision on the Rajya Sabha member candidate is taken at the level of the high command. The party will select the name which will be better for the party. Madhya Pradesh Congress is with every decision of the leadership.