Reliance Industries Vice Chairman Anil Ambani would contest the Rajya Sabha elections as an independent candidate from Uttar Pradesh, an associate of Ambani said in New Delhi on Wednesday.
There were seven candidates in the fray for the six seats.
This was revealed in their affidavits filed along with the nominations for the June 15 Rajya Sabha elections.
According to an official source, Dr Singh will arrive in Guwahati on May 8 to file his nomination papers next day. A team of his Special Protection Group has already arrived here to look after the security arrangements for the PM's trip.
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to stay the order of the Uttar Pradesh assembly speaker disqualifying five Bahujan Samaj Party legislators under the anti-defection law.
The leaders would meet again later in the day to clear the remaining eight names.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Saturday the nomination of Bollywood actor Mithun Chakraborty as her party Trinamool Congress candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election in the state.
An outcome of the petitions may have wider repercussions for many political leaders including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh especially if the petitioners succeed.
Uttar Pradesh Chief minister and Samajwadi Party boss Mulayam Singh Yadav on Saturday said noted actress Jaya Bachchan will be one his party candidates for the Rajya Sabha election.
A contest between Jai Parkash Gupta (Independent), Shashi Pal Mehta (Bharatiya Janata Party), Dharampal Gupta (Indian National Lok Dal) and Sumita Singh (Congress) is on the cards.
In a boost to the claims of two Congress candidates, the Election Commission directed the returning officer of the Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh to consider afresh rejected nomination papers for scrutiny.
The BSP chief is already a Lok Sabha member from Akbarpur seat in Uttar Pradesh.
The BJP has nominated Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal as its candidate from Maharashtra for Rajya Sabha election.
The BTP chief said the party is now extending support to Gehlot after an assurance that its demands related to the development of tribal areas will be met.
The NCP skipped the meeting to express its displeasure over allegations by some Congress leaders that its two MLAs did not vote for Ahmed Patel in the Gujarat Rajya Sabha elections.
Congress Member of Parliament DK Suresh on Sunday said that the Gujarat Congress is united and all the 44 MLAs are ready to vote for Ahmed Patel in the election scheduled for August 8.
The Reliance Industries vice-chairman would be supported by Samajwadi Party.
The party's economic wizard will be fielded from Andhra Pradesh.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday asked Chief Secretary N K Das to institute a probe into Wednesday's incident of protests by Guwahati-based journalists that occurred outside the main entrance to the Assam assembly complex regarding the entry of mediapersons at the time of filing of nomination papers by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh for the May 30 Rajya Sabha elections, according to an official communique.
It issued notices to the Centre, the attorney general, and all states and UTs on a petition challenging a recent amendment to the election law.
Kodoth Govindan Nair has defied the Congress high command and filed his nomination.
Kadoth Govindan Nair had remained in the fray for the Rajya Sabha elections despite the wishes of Sonia Gandhi.
The four MLAs, accompanied by Sangma and BJP's trouble-shooter and Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, visited the Raj Bhavan in the afternoon to submit letter of support to the BJP-led government.
Ambani has bank deposits worth Rs 80.63 lakh and cash amounting to Rs 4.13 lakh, according to the declaration made by him at the time of filing his nomination in Lucknow.
Marandi returned to the BJP after 14 years and the party now wants him to lead the state unit. But a generation of new leaders isn't familiar with him, explains Radhika Ramaseshan.
Mayawati was outmanoeuvred by the BJP in the race for the Rajya Sabha in Uttar Pradesh just days after she helped the Samajwadi Party snatch two Lok Sbaha seats from the saffron party in bypolls.
With May 31 being the last date for filing nomination, the party is set to announce the names of more candidates soon.
In her condolence message for Patel, who served as her political secretary for years and was the All India Congress Committee treasurer, party chief Sonia Gandhi said, 'In Shri Ahmed Patel, I have lost a colleague, whose entire life was dedicated to the Congress Party.'
On joining the party, the former SP leader belittled actor-politician Jaya Bachchan as someone "who used to dance in films".
Union minister Smriti Irani will also contest the Rajya Sabha polls from Gujarat from where she is already an MP and her term ends on August 18.
Patel, 71, who was critical for a few days, was admitted to the Medanta hospital in Gurugram on November 15 after he developed complications. His son Faisal said he died at 3.30 am.
In Gujarat, Amit Shah's tactic of spiriting away Congress leaders and MLAs is jocularly called 'shop-and-buy votes'. Although haemorrhaging the Congress is a vital aspect of his election blueprint, an aide said, "Amitbhai wants to win on our strengths and not by weakening the Congress."
The Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday saw cross-voting by a BJP MLA while another party legislator claimed that she was prevented from voting.
The 22 rebel Congress MLAs (who now have joined the BJP) will have to win the by-elections, which won't be easy as Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath will leave no stone unturned to secure those seats.
The party's chances of winning two seats in the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state in the March 26 Rajya Sabha polls has been severely dented.
A group of five people, including candidates but excluding security personnel, is allowed to take part in door-to-door campaigning.
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