NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday filed his nomination for the March 26 Rajya Sabha polls from Maharashtra, even as the ruling BJP named former MP and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s descendent Uddhayanraje Bhosale and Union Minister Ramdas Athavale as its candidates for the polls.
Seventy-nine-year-old Pawar was accompanied by Shiv Sena President and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president and State Minister Balasaheb Thorat, State NCP president and Minister Jayantrao Patil and a host of leaders from the three MVA constituents, when he filed his nomination for the RS polls.
The elections for seven Rajya Sabha seats are being held on March 26. The last date for filing nominations is March 13. Elections, if needed, will be held on March 26.
The elections to seven RS from Maharashtra have been necessitated by the impending end of the terms of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, Congress’ Hussain Dalwai, Sena’s Rajkumar Dhoot, BJP’s Amar Sable, BJP-backed Independent Sanjay Kakade and NCP’s Majeed Memon, on April 2.
Meanwhile, the BJP announced Udayanraje Bhosale -- the 13th descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj from the Satara royal family who had switched over from the NCP to BJP in the run-up to 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls but was trounced in the October 2019 – and Union Minister and Dalit leader Ramdas Athavale as its candidates for the RS polls.
With less than 36 hours to go for the closure of the nominations, the ruling Shiv Sena and Congress have not yet announced their candidates for the polls.
The electoral college for these seven RS seats is the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. While the BJP has a strength of 105 members in the lower House, while the seat tally of the ruling constituents is: Shiv Sena-56, NCP -54 and Congress -44.
The rest of the MLAs in the 288-member comprise: Bahujan Vikas Aghadi --three seats, SP, AIMIM and Prahar Janshakti Party --two each and MNS, CPM, PWP, Swabhimani Paksh, RSP, Jansurajya Party, Krantikari Shetkari Party – one seat each and 13 Independents.
With its own tally of 105, the BJP claims that it has the support of 14 members from smaller parties and independents. With a combined tally of 154, the ruling MVA –comprising Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, the MVA has the support of another 16 members comprising members of smaller parties and independents, which takes its tally to 170.
The number of members required for winning one RS seat is 41. While the BJP can easily can two seats, it can try to win the third seat with the support of 14 MLAs – from the smaller parties and Independents -- that it claims to have.
On their part, Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress – with their respective strengths – can win one seat each. Together, they can attempt to get one more RS seat.
However, there will be a stiff contest for the sixth and seventh seats in the March 26 elections.
The Congress, which has to remain content with only seat, is witnessing intense lobbying. Among the Congress aspirants for the RS ticket are: former Union minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Congress general secretaries Avinash Pande, Rajiv Satav, Mukul Wasnik, former South Mumbai MP Milind Deora and AICC Tamil Nadu secretary Sanjay Dutt.
On the Shiv Sena front, the names that are doing rounds are: former minister Anant Geete and Shiv Sena spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi, who had joined the Sena after quitting as Congress spokesperson.
The NCP, which is lobbying with the Shvi Sena for extra numbers may put up state minister Fauzia Khan, as its second candidate.
The BJP, which is sure of winning two seats, may consider fielding former Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir, who lost the Lok Sabha elections from Chandrapur.
Given the respective tallies of the major contending parties – BJP, Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress and the role to be played by the members from smaller parties and Independents, one should not be surprised if the March 26 RS polls in Maharashtra throw up a few surprises.