The Congress on Wednesday named lawyer and party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi as its candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha bypoll in Telangana.

This is the lone sure seat for the Congress among the 12 vacancies for which elections will be held on September 3.

After the announcement, Singhvi posted on X: “My sincere gratitude to the Congress President, Shri Kharge, to two former CPs, Soniaji & Rahulji, to Priyankaji and to all senior leadership for the trust and faith reposed in me.”

This will be the second attempt by the Congress this year to get Singhvi — the go-to lawyer for many Opposition leaders — back into the Rajya Sabha.

An attempt by the ruling Congress in Himachal Pradesh in February was torpedoed by the BJP, which managed to get half-a-dozen Congress MLAs to cross-vote.

Singhvi is likely to win the bypoll this time and enter the Upper House with the Congress having a majority in Telangana. His third term, representing Bengal, in the Rajya Sabha ended in April.

Additional reporting by PTI