 "RS seat from Uttarakhand goes to Raj Babbar")
The lone Rajya Sabha seat had fallen vacant following the death of Manorama Sharma Dobriyal last month. The victory of Babbar became certain, as he was the only candidate whose papers were received by the returning officer in the Assembly here on the last day of the filing of the nomination papers.
Though former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna and state Congress President Kishore Upadhyay were the front runners in the race, Babbar apparently managed to clinch the seat in his favour, owing to his closeness to Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, Congress sources said. With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opting out, Babbar's victory became more of a formality.
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"I have been nominated for the Rajya Sabha seat with the blessings of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Chief Minister Harish Rawat," said Babbar after the filing of nomination papers.
Besides, Bahuguna and Upadhyay, a host of local Congress leaders had also staked claim for the seat. But the party high command did not find any merit in all such claims.
With this, the Congress high command has also clearly sent a message to former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna that he should work as a disciplinary party member of legislative Assembly in the state and must not harbour any political ambitions.
"The nomination of Babbar to the Rajya Sabha is once again a big setback to the Bahuguna camp in Uttarakhand and victory for the Chief Minister Harish Rawat camp," said a senior state Congress leader.