RS polls
MUMBAI, Feb 15:
All six candidates, who are in the fray for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Maharashtra, including Congress turncoats Ashok Chavan and Milind Deora, filed their nomination papers here on Thursday. Six Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra are up for grabs as the terms of the sitting MPs are expiring.
The elections, which are scheduled for February 27, are likely to go unopposed considering the strength of the ruling allies and the opposition Congress in the state assembly. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is part of the ruling ‘Mahayuti’ coalition in Maharashtra, nominated former Chief Minister Chavan a day after he joined the party after quitting the Congress.
It also fielded former MLA from Pune Medha Kulkarni, and ‘kar sevak’ and RSS worker Dr Ajit Gopchade, who has been associated with the party for the past several years.
The Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the opposition Congress have fielded former Union minister Praful Patel, former MP Milind Deora and Dalit leader Chandrakant Handore respectively.
BJP candidates Chavan, Kulkarni and Gopchade filed their nomination papers at the Vidhan Bhavan here. Before filing his papers, Chavan visited the famous Siddhivinayak temple in central Mumbai to seek blessings of Lord Ganesh.
“This is a commencement of my new political life,” he said after submitting the nomination paper. Kulkarni said she will try to make the best use of the golden opportunity given to her by the party. A former MLA from Kothrud in Pune, Kulkarni is the only women candidate among the rest. From the NCP, Praful Patel filed his nomination. Patel, who is currently the NCP’s working president, was accompanied by Ajit Pawar, party’s state unit chief Sunil Tatkare and ministers Chhagan Bhujbal and Dhananjay Munde.
Talking to reporters later, Patel said, “This (nomination) is part of a political strategy and things will get clear in the coming days.” Patel had four years of his Rajya Sabha term left, but the decision to field him again was taken due to some “technical issues”, Tatkare had told reporters.
Patel was elected to Rajya Sabha in June 2022 and would have had a term until 2028. Shinde-led Sena candidate Deora and Congress’s Handore also filed their nominations. Deora, a former Union minister, joined the Shiv Sena only last month.
While he has been a two-time Lok Sabha member from Mumbai, this will be Deora’s first election for the Upper House. Deora said he wanted to assure all MLAs and party workers that he would work towards fulfilling the vision of CM Shinde for Mumbai and Maharashtra in Parliament. Handore, a Dalit leader from the Congress, was accompanied by Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders when he filed his nomination paper. He thanked his party leadership for nomination to the Rajya Sabha. A former Maharashtra minister and Mumbai mayor, Handore had lost the legislative council polls in 2022 though the Congress had enough numbers with it. (PTI)
With the existing strength of 284 MLAs in the state Assembly, each RS seat needs a quota of 41 votes to win. Considering the strength of the BJP, which has 105 MLAs and is believed to enjoy the support of some Independents and other smaller allies, the party can send three members to the Upper House of the Parliament.
The Shinde-led Sena, Ajit Pawar-helmed NCP, and the opposition Congress can win one seat each. (PTI)
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