MVA backs Sharad Pawar for RS seat, Sena (UBT) drops Priyanka Chaturvedi

Mumbai (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday said unfavourable political arithmetic and the candidature of NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar were the key reasons why the party could not field Priyanka Chaturvedi again for the Rajya Sabha election.

Raut said that although there was a strong desire within the Shiv Sena (UBT) to see Chaturvedi re-elected to the Upper House of Parliament, the party lacked the required numbers and the entry of a senior leader like Pawar into the fray made it difficult to contest the seat.

"There was a wish in the party that Priyanka Chaturvedi should return to the Rajya Sabha, but the required numbers were not there. With a senior leader like Pawar saheb in the fray, we had to take this decision," Raut said while explaining the development.

"Had the political arithmetic worked out and Pawar did not contest, then the Sena (UBT) would have 100 per cent fought the seat and given Chaturvedi another opportunity," he said.

Seven Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra are falling vacant next month.

On Wednesday, the Congress declared support to NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar as the Opposition bloc's candidate for the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Maharashtra. The decision ended days of speculation about the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidate as all three allies - Congress, NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) - had staked claim to the seat.

The ruling BJP has fielded four candidates, including its general secretary Vinod Tawde and Union minister Ramdas Athawale, for the biennial polls.

The filing of nominations for these seats will close on March 5.

Commenting on the BJP's list of four Rajya Sabha candidates from Maharashtra, Raut said the renomination of Athawale was expected, while the candidature of Tawde was noteworthy.

Tawde's nomination could be seen as recognition of his organisational work for the party over the last six to seven years after he was denied a ticket to contest the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, the Sena (UBT) MP said.

Raut said Tawde had worked for strengthening the party organisation during that period and his nomination to the Rajya Sabha appeared to be a reward for those efforts.

With over 230 MLAs in the 288-member assembly, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, which includes the NCP and the Shiv Sena, is in a position to ensure the election of all its nominees. The NCP and Shiv Sena have to nominate one candidate each.

The Rajya Sabha members from Maharashtra whose six-year term is ending in April are: Sharad Pawar, Athawale, Fauzia Khan of NCP (SP), Rajni Patil (Congress), Priyanka Chaturvedi (Shiv Sena-UBT), and Dhananjay Patil and Bhagwat Karad (both from BJP).

Polling will be held on March 16 between 9 am and 4 pm, with counting scheduled to commence at 5 pm the same day.

The combined tally of the Opposition MVA translates into the assured election of one candidate. By this arithmetic, the Mahayuti alliance can win six of the seven seats, subject to cross-voting or strategic transfers under the preferential voting system.