Members of the ruling 'Mahayuti' (grand alliance in Maharashtra) discussed the Rajya Sabha election in the state on Tuesday to finalise the names for the Upper House. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his deputies - Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar held a meeting as the last date of the Rajya Sabha election nomination is approaching. February 15 is the last date to file the nomination.
According to the sources, Milind Deora, who recently switched sides from Congress to Shiv Sena (Shinde) and Sameer Bhujbal -nephew of NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal may get Rajya Sabha tickets.
Sameer Bhujbal's candidature for the Rajya Sabha poll would be significant in the wake of outrage in Maharashtra politics following the Maratha reservation stir. The selection of senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal's nephew will be a move to pacify senior Bhujbal as he is upset over the indication that the state government may accept the demand of Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange to include Marathas as Kunbi caste to the OBC category.
Recently, Bhujbal - an OBC leader - claimed that he had resigned from the State Cabinet last November over the Maratha quota issue, however, Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said that his resignation had not been accepted.
Uttar Pradesh will send the highest number of 10 members after February 27 Upper House elections, followed by Maharashtra and Bihar (six each), Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal (five each), Karnataka and Gujarat (four each), Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan (three each), and Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Chhattisgarh (one each).
The biennial Rajya Sabha polls will be held on February 27 for 56 seats, as the tenure of incumbents including former prime minister Manmohan Singh and BJP president JP Nadda will end in April. The vacancies also include seats held by nine Union ministers including Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav and Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
Also read: Sonia Gandhi files nomination for Rajya Sabha polls from Rajasthan | WATCH
