Thackeray said no formal seat-sharing talks have taken place yet among MVA partners, but numbers indicate the Rajya Sabha seat should go to Sena (UBT).
The opposition MVA, given its strength in the 288-member assembly, can at best secure one Rajya Sabha and one legislative council seat.
While Sharad Pawar is keen to seek another Rajya Sabha term, Sena (UBT) leaders insist it is their party’s turn as per rotation and strength.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Thursday virtually staked his party's claim to the seats the Maha Vikas Aghadi can win in the upcoming Rajya Sabha and Maharashtra legislative council polls, citing their numbers in the state assembly.
Thackeray said there have been no formal discussions among the MVA partners - Congress, Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) - concerning the Rajya Sabha and council polls.
“If you look at the figures, the (Rajya Sabha polls) seat belongs to Sena (UBT) and definitely talks will happen in that direction in the MVA,” Thackeray said.
With numbers heavily stacked in favour of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, the MVA can potentially win one seat each in the Rajya Sabha and legislative council. In the 288-member Maharashtra assembly, Sena (UBT) has 20 legislators, followed by the Congress (16) and NCP-SP (10).
According to the Election Commission, the number of Rajya Sabha seats for which elections will be held are spread across Maharashtra (7), Odisha (4), Telangana (2), Tamil Nadu (6), Chhattisgarh (2 seats), West Bengal (5), Assam (3), Haryana (2), Himachal Pradesh (1) and Bihar (5).
Notifications for the elections will be issued on February 26, and according to established practice, polling will be held on March 16 between 9 am and 4 pm, with counting scheduled from 5 pm the same day.
NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, whose Rajya Sabha term is ending in April, is keen to contest the polls again, according to Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut.
Along with Pawar, Rajya Sabha stint will also end for Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, Fauzia Khan of NCP (SP), Ramdas Athawale of RPI (Athawale), BJP’s Bhagwat Karad, Congress’ Rajani Patil and NCP’s Dhairysheel Patil.
In the legislative council, nine members are retiring in May, including Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray.
When asked about Pawar, Thackeray said, “There has been no official discussion on it so far. It is the turn of Sena (UBT) this time, be it Vidhan Parishad (council) or Rajya Sabha, according to numbers and rotation,” Thackeray said.
Talking to reporters separately, Raut said discussions among the MVA partners will focus not only on Rajya Sabha polls but also on legislative council elections.
“This will not stretch like Chandrapur. Discussions are on,” Raut said in a dig at the Congress.
He was referring to the Chandrapur Municipal Corporation’s mayoral polls in which the Congress lost to the BJP with the support of the Sena (UBT). Earlier, Raut had attributed the loss to the “infighting” within the Congress.
“There is just one (Rajya Sabha) seat, and there are three major parties in the MVA. Representatives, including Sharad Pawar, are retiring from these three parties. So leaders of the three parties need to sit together and take a decision on Rajya Sabha and legislative council polls,” he said.
Raut said Pawar had expressed his desire to contest the polls to the Upper House of Parliament. Now MVA will hold discussions on it, he added. PTI PR NR
