Kartikeya files nomination triggering speculations on Maken's prospects

chandigarh: Union Kartikeya Sharma, Founder and Managing Director, ITV Network, on Tuesday filed his Rajya Sabha nomination from Haryana triggering

speculations of a possibility of cross-voting within Congress at the time of poll. Sharma is the Founder and Managing Director of ITV Network (Information Tv Pvt Ltd), an Indian media company that runs India News, NewsX and The Sunday Guardian.

Sharma came to media profession with the acquisition of The Sunday Guardian, an English language Sunday newspaper, and the Hindi daily Aaj Samaj. He is married to INC politician Kuldeep Sharma's daughter Aishwarya Sharma.

A former Speaker of Haryana Assembly, Kuldeep Sharma is considered very close to Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

A day before Sharma filed his nomination, another media baron Subhash Chandra of the Zee Group, Chandra, whose Rajya Sabha term ends on 1 August, filed his nomination from Rajasthan as an independent candidate backed by the BJP.

Chandra had contested and won Rajya Sabha elections as an independent candidate from Haryana in 2016.

Sharma's nomination has reminded everyone of Chandra's election in 2016 when 12 Congress votes were rejected for use of different pen leading to allegations that this was done deliberately to defeat the official candidate of the Congress.

Kartikeya's entry could mean trouble for Congress nominee Ajay Maken.