The Congress seems to be negotiating with Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh to get a Rajya Sabha berth for Captain Satish Sharma. Since Sharma's term would expire shortly, he has to be elected from the Rajya Sabha.

If Ajit Singh's RLD sides with the Congress in UP, Satish Sharma can easily be given a seat from the Rajya Sabha, sources say. Sharma, a close confidant of the Nehru-Gandhi family, wields considerable clout in the government and the party. Sources say that Ajit Singh was approached by the party's old warhorse finance minister Pranab Mukherjee who also requested him to hitch onto the UPA's bandwagon. Though Ajit Singh has been promised a suitable reward in the event of his joining the UPA, the jat leader from the west UP is still weighing his option.