Why Seventh Nomination for Rajya Sabha Missing

Delhi is never without gossip and rumours. Ironically, they tend to come true. The latest rumour is, however, what may be called of high voltage. For, it involves the President and the Prime Minister. It relates to the nomination of persons from various fields to the Rajya Sabha for their contribution in their fields.

Re the latest nomination we know six, including BJP leaders Subramanian Swamy and Navjot Singh Sidhu and boxer Mary Kom were nominated by the Narendra Modi government to the Rajya Sabha.

The list also included Narendra Jadhav, member of erstwhile National Advisory Council (NAC) headed by Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Malayalam actor Suresh Gopi and journalist Swapan Dasgupta were also nominated as the new Rajya Sabha members.

It was notified that President Pranab Mukherjee nominated the six personalities from different fields to the House of Elders following a recommendation of the Narendra Modi government, a Home Ministry spokesperson said. He said a formal notification regarding their nomination to the Upper House would be issued shortly.

The President recommends the names of the nominated members — drawn from fields such as literature, science, sports, art and social service — on the advice of the government.

Now comes the twist. The rumour is that the seventh name sent by the government was held back and the President allegedly recommended that Abheek Sircar may be appointed. What sources reveal is that the NDA would never agree to his name, for his publications have been very critical of Modi and NDA. It is alleged that the seventh name sent earlier was resent. Anupam Kher has allegedly lost out, because his wife Kiron Kher is in the Lok Sabha.

Swamy, a Harvard-educated economist, was a former Union Minister for Commerce and Law. He was also a former member of the Planning Commission.

Sidhu, cricketer-turned-parliamentarian, is three-time Lok Sabha member of BJP from Amritsar and  was given a Rajya Sabha seat apparently to stop him from joining Aam Aadmi Party, which was reportedly planning to project him as chief ministerial candidate for Punjab Assembly polls in 2017. The 52-year-old former cricketer had made way for Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to contest from Amritsar in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. However, Jaitley had lost the election.