Media Barons In Race To Rajya Sabha With BJP Backing

The Rajya Sabha elections have just got more interesting especially in Haryana and Rajasthan, where the BJP's decision to field two media barons has stirred the pot. In Rajasthan, the BJP has decided to field media baron Subhash Chandra for the fourth seat, making it a contest between him and the Congress' Pramod Tiwari. The Congress is already accusing the BJP of indulging in horse trading. In Haryana, Kartikeya Sharma, the owner of media firm NewsX and son of former Congress leader Vinod Sharma, filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha as an independent candidate backed by the BJP. His candidature could damage the prospects for the Congress' Ajay Maken who was otherwise guaranteed a walkover. This is because there is a lot of rumbling in the Congress about outsiders like Maken being given Rajya Sabha nominations - and disgruntled Congress MLAs could ditch him for the BJP-backed candidate. So, is the BJP fishing in troubled waters?