Congress nominates leading lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi to Rajya Sabha from Himachal Pradesh, ignores state leaders Anand Sharma, Kaul Singh, Asha Kumari
TNR Desk
The Congress high command has announced the nomination of party leader and leading lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi to the Rajya Sabha from Himachal Pradesh. Singhvi’s candidature is learnt to have been finalised during a dinner meeting of the Himachal Congress MLAs held in Shimla on Wednesday (February 13, 2024) evening.
All party legislators were summoned for the crucial meeting where the decision to nominate Singhvi was taken. The seasoned politician is slated to assume the seat currently held by BJP national president JP Nadda, whose tenure is set to conclude in April.
Singhvi is expected to file his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha seat on Thursday, the final day for nominations. Following this, the Election Commission has scheduled the sorting of nomination papers for February 16. The withdrawal of candidature can be done on February 20, paving the way for the polling scheduled for Tuesday (February 27). The electoral process, set to transpire from 9 am to 4 pm at the Himachal Assembly complex, will culminate in the declaration of results by late evening.
Born on February 24, 1959, in Jodhpur, Singhvi boasts of an illustrious academic and professional background.
Having pursued education at esteemed institutions such as St Columba’s School, St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, Cambridge University, UK and Harvard University, he has carved a niche for himself as one of India’s foremost legal luminaries. His tenure as the Additional Solicitor General of India further underscored his legal acumen and expertise.
Sources reveal that during the Congress Legislature Party meeting held the previous evening, a proposal was floated, stipulating that the party’s high command would finalise the Rajya Sabha MP candidate. Alongside Singhvi, names such as former Union Minister Anand Sharma, former Rajya Sabha MP Viplov Thakur, former Congress state president Kaul Singh Thakur and former minister Asha Kumari, all hailing from Himachal, were purportedly under consideration for the prestigious nomination.
