By IANS,
New Delhi : The Congress said Tuesday that the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) have assured support to its candidate in the biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh.
The Congress has fielded Captain Satish Sharma for a Rajya Sabha seat from the state.
“Our high command has talked to the RLD chief (Ajit Singh) who has assured unconditional support. I have talked to SP leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav and Ram Gopal Yadav. They have assured to support our candidate,” Congress secretary Parvez Hashmi told IANS.
Hashmi, who looks after party affairs in the state as an All India Congress Committee secretary, said that Captain Sharma will file his nomination Wednesday.
He said Ram Gopal Yadav assured him that he would be present when Sharma files his nomination papers.
Hashmi said he had urged the SP leadership to join hands in defeating “communal forces” and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati.
The Congress has 20 legislators in the state and has the backing of two more legislators.
The RLD, which is not contesting the Rajya Sabha polls, has 10 legislators in the 403-member assembly.
The Samajwadi Party has 87 members in the assembly and will be left with some surplus votes after getting its two candidates elected to the Rajya Sabha.
The nominations for biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha from the state will close June 7. The last date for the withdrawal of papers is June 10, and if required, polling will be held June 17. Eleven members of the Rajya Sabha from the state will retire July 4.