Saturday, March 10, 2012

Mangat Ram to file nomination papers on Monday

Cong HC to give bigger role to veteran leader in State politics

 With a view to give major role to veteran Congress leader Mangat Ram Sharma in the State politics and infuse new life in the Pradesh Congress, the party high command has decided to enable his entry into the Upper House.

Mr Sharma, a former Deputy Chief Minister of the State, will file his nomination papers for the lone vacancy of Legislative Council on March 12, the last day for filing the papers.

Authoritative sources told the Excelsior that Mr Sharma formally got the party mandate for Legislative Council seat tonight and would be returning here tomorrow morning from New Delhi.

PCC (I) president Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz would reach here on Monday morning from New Delhi. Mr Soz and other senior leaders of the party would accompany Mangat Ram Sharma to file nomination papers for the seat of Legislative Council.

As there was expected to be no other candidate in the fray, Mr Sharma could be declared elected unopposed to the Upper House on March 12 itself , the last date for filing nomination papers.

Legislative Assembly Secretary, Mohammad Ramzan, who happened to be the Returning Officer for the Legislative Council election, told the Excelsior that no nomination had been filed for the seat till today. He said Monday was last day for filing nomination papers.

"If only a single nomination paper is received on Monday, the candidate automatically stood elected as unopposed. However, we had to make a formal announcement of unopposed election only on last date for withdrawal of nomination papers, which has been fixed as March 15’’, Mr Ramzan said.

Sources said Mangat Ram’s victory was a foregone conclusion even if any candidate joined the fray as National Conference-Congress coalition Government has more than enough numbers in the Legislative Assembly to make its candidate victorious.

Sources said by enabling Mangat Ram Sharma’s entry in the Upper House, the Congress high command has planned a bigger role for him in the State politics and he could be inducted in the Council of Ministry in the expansion scheduled after budget session of the Legislature in April this year.

According to sources, the Congress high command wanted to infuse a new life in the Congress by giving the party veteran a major role in the State politics in the coming months.

Excelsior had in its edition on February 18 exclusively reported that the Congress had decided to field Mangat Ram Sharma for the Legislative Council vacancy to give him a major role in the State politics as the party high command was not satisfied with performance of some Congress Ministers in the coalition Government.

The Legislative Council vacancy had arisen due to the death of Congress leader Yashpal Khajuria, who had been elected to the Council in April last year.

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