Political talks intensified on Wednesday in preparation for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Maharashtra, with the NCP nominating party patriarch Sharad Pawar for one seat and the ruling Mahyutti Party moving to finalize its candidates, including Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, for the polls.
There are seven Rajya Sabha seats going to polls in Maharashtra on March 16. In the 288-member council, two seats are currently vacant. A candidate needs 36.75 first preference votes – that is 37 actual votes – to win.
Mahyutti’s ruling party has 233 members – 131 from the BJP, 57 from the Shiv Sena and 40 from the NCP – and is likely to win six seats, with support from smaller parties and independents, which number nine.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi has 46 seats – the Shiv Sena (UBT) has 20, the Congress 16, and the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) 10 – and can therefore only win one seat.
On Wednesday, Congress Party (SP) national working president Supriya Sule said everyone wants Sharad Pawar to be re-elected to the Rajya Sabha. To achieve this, the party will talk to its allies Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), she said.
Two senior NCP leaders – Jayant Patil and Shashikant Shinde – have sought a meeting with Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray to make a formal request in this regard, SP leaders said. Sule has already spoken to Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs Sanjay Raut and Anil Desai, Sule said.
“It is everyone’s desire for Pawar Sahib to be re-elected to the Rajya Sabha. The overwhelming support reflects the respect and affection that people have for him. Senior leaders from our party and I will ask the Congress and Shiv Sena to ensure his unanimous re-election,” Sule told reporters in New Delhi.
“Pawar Saheb has completed 60 years in public life and has consistently received tremendous support. We are looking for the same kind of support again,” she added.
Sule said she would talk to senior Congress leaders like party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and general secretary KC Venugopal.
The octogenarian leader completed two terms as Rajya Sabha MP and seven terms in Lok Sabha.
On Mahyutti’s part, the names of Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, party national general secretary Vinod Tode, former Union minister Rausaheb Dhanvi, National Commission for Women chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar and outgoing MP Drayashiel Patel were discussed, a senior BJP leader said.
The state core committee — comprising Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, state unit chief Ravindra Chavan, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Pawankule and others — held a meeting on Tuesday night to decide on the nominations.
The 15-member Central Election Commission — which includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president Nitin Nabin, other senior leaders of the party and Fadnavis — will finalize the names for Rajya Sabha.
State BJP leaders said the party may renominate Athawale.
The BJP can elect four members, if it gets the support of its allies and small parties. For its fourth candidate, the party is short of about 12 votes, which could come from the Shiv Sena, which will have about 20 votes left after its only candidate wins, and the NCP, which will have three votes after its candidate wins.
“Since Rajya Sabha candidates are elected in an open ballot system, there is no point in fielding another Mahayoti candidate who expects cross-voting by opposition MLAs. Secondly, on the basis of strength on both sides, the number of seats that can be won does not have any ambiguity,” said a BJP minister, requesting anonymity.[6:28 AM]
