Raut Proposes Pawar for Rajya Sabha, Thackeray for Council Polls
Raut said, Sharad Pawar told me that he wants to go to the Rajya Sabha again
Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday proposed the names of Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray for the upcoming Rajya Sabha and Maharashtra Vidhan Parishad elections, respectively. Raut said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has the combined numerical strength in the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha to secure one seat in each House.
The election schedule for the Rajya Sabha has been announced. Elections will be held for seven seats in Maharashtra, as the stint of seven Rajya Sabha members from the state is coming to an end in April. The retiring members are Sharad Pawar and Fauzia Khan from NCP (SP), Dr. Bhagwat Karad and Dhairyasheel Patil from BJP, Union Minister of State Ramdas Athawale from the Republican Party of India and Priyanka Chaturvedi from Shiv Sena (UBT).
In the Maharashtra Vidhan Parishad, nine members are retiring in May, including Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray.
Raut said discussions among the MVA partners will focus not only on Rajya Sabha polls but also on Vidhan Parishad elections. “If it is decided to contest the only Rajya Sabha seat, all three parties of the Mahavikas Aghadi will sit together and take a decision. After the Rajya Sabha, there is also an election for the Vidhan Parishad, so there will be a discussion together on who will contest the Rajya Sabha and who will contest the Vidhan Parishad,” he said.
The Rajya Sabha MP said that Sharad Pawar was keen on contesting the Rajya Sabha elections. “When I spoke to him, Sharad Pawar told me that he wants to go to the Rajya Sabha again. The issue will be discussed in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. We will sit together and decide on this soon,” Raut said.
Raut also said that Uddhav Thackeray should go to the Vidhan Parishad again. “This is not just my stand, but also of our leaders that being a party chief Uddhav Thackeray should be in the State Legislature. His presence is necessary for our MLAs as well as the party’s legislative proceedings,” he said.
According to the numbers, the MVA can potentially win one seat each in the Rajya Sabha and Vidhan Parishad. In the 288-member Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha, Sena (UBT) has 20 legislators, followed by the Congress (16) and NCP-SP (10).
