Former Member of Parliament (MP) Rajani Patil’s nomination as the Congress candidate for the October 4 Rajya Sabha bypolls appears to be a sign of the national party’s diminishing hope in the Maharashtra governor, who has been tasked with clearing her appointment, along with 11 other Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) nominees to the State Legislative Council. The Congress chose Patil, 62, a veteran women’s leader, for the upper house vacancy created by the death of Rajeev Satav because of COVID-19.

The party high command announced Patil’s nomination, a former Lok Sabha (1996) and Rajya Sabha (2013) member, on Monday. Many others, including Satav’s doctor wife, were in contention. Patil holds charge of Jammu & Kashmir. Her selection confirms that she continues to enjoy the confidence of the Gandhi family, which neither fielded a national-level non-Maharashtra leader nor any aspirants from the state.