Thaindian News

Lucknow, June 2 (IANS) Former union minister Satish Sharma Wednesday filed his nomination papers for the forthcoming biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh.
Known as former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi’s personal friend and one-time co-pilot, Sharma was understood to have been hand-picked by Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Sharma, who hs represented Uttar Pradesh in both houses of parliament, was fielded from Uttarakhand for his current Rajya Sabha term that expires later this month.

Admitting that he was returning to Uttar Pradesh after a long gap, he told party workers before filing his nomination: “I am returning to Uttar Pradesh after almost six years, essentially to strengthen the hands of (Congress general secretary) Rahul Gandhi in achieving his Uttar Pradesh Mission 2012.”

“Rahul’s mission is to ensure success of the Congress party in Uttar Pradesh (in the 2012 assembly polls) and our mission should be to ensure his success.”

Significantly, Sharma demonstrated his strength not merely by the presence of a huge gathering of Congressmen, but also that of some prominent leaders of the Samajwadi Party (SP) as well as the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD).

If SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s cousin Ram Gopal Yadav was conspicuous by his presence, RLD president Ajit Singh’s close confidante Ram Asrey Verma was there to convey the party’s support for Sharma.

Talking to mediapersons, Congress legislature party (CLP) leader Pramod Tiwari said: “The support expressed by SP and RLD was in fact support for the cause of secularism, of which the Congress party is a staunch advocate.”

Referring to Satish Sharma, he said: “The CLP had made a formal appeal to the Congress president to field someone close to the Gandhi family and I am obliged that she has conceded our request.”

Earlier in the day, Sharma was accorded a rousing reception at the Lucknow airport as well as the Uttar Pradesh Congress headquarters here.