Maharashtra. There is intense political activity regarding the Rajya Sabha elections. Elections are to be held on seven seats in the state, for which candidates are being decided. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) faction has not made Priyanka Chaturvedi a candidate again. Party leader Sanjay Raut explained the reason for this on Thursday. He said that due to political equations not supporting him and Sharad Pawar’s candidature, the party could not field Priyanka Chaturvedi again. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said that there was a desire in the party that Priyanka Chaturvedi should go to Rajya Sabha again. But we did not have the required numbers. Apart from this, contesting this seat had become difficult with the entry of a senior leader like Sharad Pawar into the fray. For these reasons we had to take this decision.
Had Pawar not fought, Chaturvedi would have got a chance.
Sanjay Raut further said that if political mathematics had been in our favor and Pawar Saheb had not contested the elections, then Shiv Sena (UBT) would have 100 percent contested this seat. Then Priyanka Chaturvedi would definitely have been given a second chance. Let us tell you that seven Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra are falling vacant next month.
MVA supported Pawar
On Wednesday, Congress announced its support to NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar as the opposition alliance’s candidate for a Rajya Sabha seat from Maharashtra. This decision put an end to the ongoing speculations regarding the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidate. All three parties Congress, NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) were claiming this seat.
What did Raut say about BJP candidates?
The ruling BJP has fielded four candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections. These include party general secretary Vinod Tawde and Union Minister Ramdas Athawale. Commenting on the BJP list, Raut said that Athawale’s re-nomination was expected, while Tawde’s candidature was worth considering. Raut said that making Tawde a candidate could be a tribute to his organizational work. After being denied the ticket in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, he has worked hard for the party in the last six-seven years. His nomination to the Rajya Sabha seems to be a reward for those efforts.
Such is the mathematics of the assembly.
With over 230 MLAs in the 288-member assembly, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is in a position to ensure victory for all its candidates. NCP and Shiv Sena are also included in this alliance. At the same time, the opposition MVA has the numbers to make only one candidate win. With this mathematics, Mahayuti can win six out of seven seats.
Rajya Sabha members from Maharashtra whose six-year term is ending in April include Sharad Pawar, Ramdas Athawale, Fauzia Khan (NCP-SP), Rajni Patil (Congress), Priyanka Chaturvedi (Shiv Sena-UBT) and Dhananjay Patil and Bhagwat Karad (both from BJP). Voting for these seats will be held on March 16 between 9 am to 4 pm and counting of votes will begin at 5 pm on the same day.