MUMBAI: A tussle is raging within the MVA over the selection of a candidate for the only Rajya Sabha seat that the alliance could win in the upcoming assembly polls. While Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut revealed that NCP chief Sharad Pawar was keen to contest, Aaditya Thackeray bagged the UBT Sena seat.
Now the Congress has said that one Rajya Sabha or MLC seat should come to it. “Since we have the second highest number of MPs in the alliance, the Congress should get either a Rajya Sabha seat or an MLC seat,” Congress spokesperson Atul Lunde said on Friday. Sanjay Raut made a conciliatory speech on Friday, saying that three parties in the alliance will sit together and take a decision on the candidate. “We have enough numbers for one Rajya Sabha seat.
The three parties will sit and decide who is the best candidate for the interests and identity of Maharashtra. Raut said the decision will be taken unanimously. The elections are scheduled to be held on March 16. When asked about the possible nomination of NCP chief Sharad Pawar since the end of his term, Raut said, “Sharad Pawar is a great leader of this country.” He added, “Every party feels that it is an important component and will look for opportunities.”
But in the end there is a consensus.” Raut said it was important to send a Marathi-speaking candidate to the Rajya Sabha. “We need to send a Marathi speaking candidate to Rajya Sabha who will raise issues for Maharashtra,” he said. The issue of a common candidate within the MDC gains importance in light of speculation over merger talks between the Nationalist Congress Party (SP), which is part of the MDC, and the late Ajit Pawar-led NCP, which is part of the ruling Mahayoti alliance. The MVA needs 37 votes to win the Rajya Sabha seat. It has 47 MLAs. The Sena Party (UBT) has the highest number at 20, followed by the Congress Party with 16 and the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) with 10.
