Mahayuti Eyes All RS Seats In Maharashtra As Mva Unity Falters
"We have proposed to our allies that Uddhav Thackeray should move to the Legislative Council in the upcoming period, and the Rajya Sabha seat should be allotted to the Congress”: State Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal
MUMBAI: The Mahayuti is expected to field candidates for all seven Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra that are due for election this month. Based on its numerical strength in the State Legislative Assembly, the ruling alliance is comfortably placed to secure six of the seven seats.
The remaining seat can go to the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), provided the alliance remains united. However, signs of infighting within the MVA could alter the contest, with any split in Opposition ranks potentially giving the Mahayuti an opportunity to sweep all seven seats.
According to reports, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has instructed the State BJP chief to prepare for a contest on all seven Rajya Sabha seats.
To ensure the election of a seventh candidate, the Bharatiya Janata Party will need to secure around 20 additional votes. Voting is conducted through an open ballot, leaving little scope for cross-voting.
“The candidates will be elected through the single transferable vote system. If seven candidates are not elected in the first round of counting, the candidate with the least votes will be eliminated after second-preference votes are counted in the next round. In such a scenario, the Mahayuti could still win the seventh seat even if it falls short in the first round,” a senior BJP leader said.
The last date for filing nominations for the biennial Rajya Sabha elections is March 5, with polling scheduled for March 16.
However, the prospects of the three MVA constituents coming together to field a joint candidate appear slim. Both the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Indian National Congress are insisting on contesting a Rajya Sabha seat. At the same time, the name of Sharad Pawar is also under discussion, leading to a deadlock within the Opposition alliance.
Meanwhile, the Congress has offered support to Uddhav Thackeray for a Legislative Council seat, provided the Shiv Sena (UBT) agrees to leave a Rajya Sabha seat for the Congress.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) has 20 MLAs, while the Congress and the NCP (SP) have 16 and 10 MLAs, respectively. A candidate requires 36 votes to win a Rajya Sabha seat, meaning the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress can together secure a seat even without the support of the NCP (SP).
State Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal said, “We have proposed to our allies that Uddhav Thackeray should move to the Legislative Council in the upcoming period, and the Rajya Sabha seat should be allotted to the Congress.”