Congress schedules CLP meet on March 5 for Rajya Sabha nominations

Shimla: The Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting has been scheduled for March 5 at 11 am in the Himachal Pradesh legislative assembly's Ruling Lounge, ahead of the filing of nominations for the Rajya Sabha seat, said parliamentary affairs minister Harshwardhan Chauhan on Tuesday.Before the filing of the nomination papers, the procedure requires a Congress candidate to be proposed and seconded by MLAs. All CLP members were directed to attend the meeting without fail. The last date for filing nominations is March 5, until 3 pm, followed by scrutiny of nominations on March 6. The final date for withdrawal of nominations is March 9, and voting for the Rajya Sabha election will take place on March 16.
Commenting on the elections, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's media adviser Naresh Chauhan highlighted that the current numerical strength in the 68-member assembly favours the Congress party, which holds 40 seats. He added that the party high command will decide the candidate. Reflecting on the 2024 Rajya Sabha polls, where Congress lost despite being in power, Chauhan criticised earlier developments as inconsistent with democratic traditions and detrimental to the state's stability. He emphasised that such incidents generate political mistrust and instability without benefiting any party. Chauhan urged all political formations to uphold democratic values and established conventions for the state's greater interest. MSID: 128979345 413 | Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Holi wishes, messages and quotes !