Azad likely to be Cong leader in RS

By
Daily Excelsior
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Ghulam Nabi AzadExcelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 5: Veteran Congress leader and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who lost the recent Parliament election from Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat is likely to be appointed as Leader of Congress in Rajya Sabha.
Azad is Rajya Sabha member from Jammu and Kashmir though his term as member of the House of Elders is expiring in February next year.
Congress had recently appointed its Karnataka leader and former Railways Minister Malikarjun Kharge as Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha.
Party sources said an announcement of Azad’s name as Leader of Congress in Rajya Sabha was expected to be made by AICC (I) president Sonia Gandhi shortly.
The UPA has presently 79 members in Rajya Sabha as against NDA’s 56. Other parties have 85 members, of which Jayalalitha’s AIADMK has 10, Naveen Patnaik’s BJD 4 and Om Prakash Chautala’s Indian National Lok Dal 2, which can extend issue based support to NDA.
Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamul Congress has 12 members but so far it has not given any signal of extending support to NDA.
The Left Parties with 11 members, Samajwadi Party with 9 and BSP with 14 members will hold key in the Rajya Sabha.

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