NEW DELHI, June 5: Former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao had formally applied for a Congress nomination to the Rajya Sabha from Orissa but the request was turned down by party chief Sonia Gandhi.No reason was apparently cited for denying him the nomination but sources said the rebuff indicated she had not yet forgiven him for ignoring 10 Janpath -- and those identified with it -- during the second half of his tenure as Prime Minister.
According to sources close to Rao, not only did he apply for a Rajya Sabha ticket, he had also, in the hope of a nomination, registered himself as a voter of the state as per the constitutional requirement.
Orissa Chief Minister J B Patnaik is believed to have lobbied for Rao's candidature saying that ``the party needs a scholarly Rao to put across its views effectively.''
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
