the goan I network
PANAJI
The Election Commission has announced elections to ten seats in the Rajya Sabha from three states on June 8 for which a formal notification would be issued on May 22.
Shantaram Naik is one among the ten members due for election with his term scheduled to end on July 28.
All India Congress Committee secretary in-charge of Goa desk Dr A Chellakumar stated that the top leadership of the party in the state is presently in the process of finalizing the candidate for the RS poll.
“Congress Rajya Sabha member from Goa Shantaram Naik has had a very respectable tenure and we are working out on a plan to retain the seat,” he told The Goan.
State BJP, on the other hand, has decided it will consult all its coalition partners before finalising on the candidate for the poll.
Speaking to The Goan, BJP State President Vinay Tendulkar said: “Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will hold a meeting with all coalition partners before a final call on the candidate is taken.”
Out of the ten retiring members, four are from Trinamool Congress, three from Congress, two from BJP and one from the CPI (M).
Besides Naik, the other members set to retire include Ahmed Patel (Cong), Dilipbhai Pandya (BJP) and Irani (BJP) -- all from Gujarat -- all on on August 18.
The tenure of members from West Bengal -- Derek O Brien (TMC), Debabrata Bandhopadhyay (TMC), Pradip Bhattacharya (Cong), Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), Sukhenduhakhar Roy (TMC) and Dola Sen (TMC) are also ending on August 18. Since the Presidential polls are due before July 24, these members will be able to cast their ballot in the election as their retirement is due after that.
