RJD likely to send Jethmalani to RS

Patna: Senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani is likely to be the Rajya Sabha candidate of the Lalu Prasad-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
"The 92-year old former Union minister, who is Lalu Prasad's lawyer in some of the fodder scam cases, is likely to arrive here on May 30 to file his nomination papers as an RJD nominee," sources close to the RJD boss told TOI on Wednesday.
Jethmalani had served as Union law minister during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. However, he had later unsuccessfully contested against Vajpayee in the 2004 general polls from Lucknow. In 2010, he became BJP's Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan.
Though there is still no official announcement from RJD about its Rajya Sabha candidates, sources said Lalu's wife and former Bihar CM Rabri Devi would be another candidate to be nominated by the party for the Rajya Sabha.
Once fielded by the RJD, victory of both Jethmalani and Rabri Devi is almost certain, as Lalu's party, with 80 MLAs in Bihar assembly, has enough strength to ensure win on two of the five RS seats going for voting on June 11.
If elected, it is being speculated in political circles that Jethmalani will give a stiff challenge to BJP's Subramanian Swamy, who is aggressively representing BJP in the upper house.
Earlier, the names of Heena Shahab, wife of jailed former RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin, and former MP and noted surgeon Dr M Ejaz Ali were also doing the rounds in the RJD circles as probable nominees for the Rajya Sabha seats. But Heena's candidature came under cloud after police interrogated some associates of jailed Shahabuddin in connection with the recent murder of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan at Siwan.
Dr Ejaz, who played a vital role in transferring votes of the backward and dalit Muslims in favour of the grand alliance candidates during the last assembly polls, is being advised to sacrifice his candidature for RS seat and be content with a berth in the state legislative council. The name of state RJD president Ram Chandra Purbey is being considered for another seat in the council, party sources said.
Elections for seven council and five Rajya Sabha seats from Bihar would be held on June 10 and 11, respectively. With 80 MLAs in the 243-member assembly, the RJD will easily ensure victory of its candidate on two Rajya Sabha seats and two council seats.