Former Reserve Bank governor Raghuram Rajan has rejected the Aam Aadmi Party's offer of a Rajya Sabha seat saying that he has "no plans to leave his full-time academic job at the University of Chicago."
The AAP, which is sure of securing three Rajya Sabha seats in Delhi because of its brutal majority in the Delhi Assembly, is planning to fill them with people outside the party and had contacted Rajan to be one of the candidates.
However, the offer has been shot down by the former RBI governor who does not want to leave his full-time job at the University of Chicago. Rajan, currently a professor at University of Chicago Booth School of Business, had returned to the US after completing his three-year tenure at the central bank in India.
In a short statement issued on Wednesday, the communications department of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business said: "While Professor Rajan is engaged in a variety of educational activities in India, he has no plans to leave his full-time academic job at the University of Chicago."
Rajan was approcahed by Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal with the offer as the party does not want to send its own leaders to the Upper House.
The move is seen as an attempt to put an end to the intra-party rivalry. Kumar Vishwas, who has aired his discontent against the leadership is known to be one of the strong contenders. However, given his present equation with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal the chances of party sending to the Upper House him were slim.
Senior leaders Sanjay Singh and Ashutosh are also belived to be vying for Rajya Sabha seats.
An AAP leader, said the party will not field any of its leaders for the three Rajya Sabha seats from Delhi that will fall vacant early next year.
Apart from Rajan, the party is also looking for an eminent jurist and a known person from the field of social service for the other two seats, the leader said.
Delhi sends three members to Rajya Sabha. Currently, the city-state is being represented by Janardan Dwivedi, Parvez Hashmi, Karan Singh, whose terms end in January next year.
With its brute majority of 66 in the Delhi Legislative Assembly, the AAP is certain of victory of its candidates.
