Congressmen are extremely busy. West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Assam are at the top of the list for the upcoming 2026 state elections. But the action isn’t taking place there. The majority of Congress officials are focused on the upcoming Rajya Sabha seat race.
There are many claimants, but the pie is small. The majority of the nine Rajya Sabha seats that will come up for grabs next year are located in Karnataka, Telangana, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
The majority of political parties typically consider caste, representation, winnability, and capability while choosing Rajya Sabha seats. This is where the Congress seems to be different, though. For the Grand Old Party, winning Rahul Gandhi’s affection and trust is just as important as winning. Thus, the people on the list are thought to be close to Gandhi. Meenakshi Natarajan, Sachin Rao, Bhanwar Jitendra Singh, and Pawan Khera—who has been as combative as Gandhi on “Vote Chori”—are among the names on the list.
The party will probably encounter difficulties, though. In Himachal Pradesh, for example, Anand Sharma is waiting in the wings in the hopes of being chosen, while Pratibha Singh, the former head of the state Congress and a rival of Chief Minister Sukhu, appears to be the front-runner.
One would imagine that the Congress would want to allow some leaders from the poll-bound areas to make a point given the upcoming significant state polls. Additionally, some leaders have been putting in a lot of effort and are hoping to be rewarded with a seat in the Rajya Sabha. Consider Ashok Gehlot, who has been putting in extra hours in an attempt to get entry into the Upper House.
The party needs a glue to keep it together, energize leaders, and maintain a glimmer of hope in the face of a crisis and simmering discontent. All of this is provided by the Rajya Sabha, but the pie is little, and Rahul Gandhi’s task is to make sure that everyone is satisfied.
The candidates are vying with one another within the AICC offices in an attempt to get Rahul Gandhi’s attention. To get a seat in their favor, they all want to win over the boss.
They can probably wait for the state polls in 2026.
