by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group
special report
Intense lobbying begins for 7 Maharashtra RS Seats
Fadnavis tops the chart of probables, Pawar sure to return
Dhoot, Husain Dalwai may miss the bus
Harish Gupta
New Delhi, Feb 5
Quiet but intense lobbying has begun for seven Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra falling vacant. Given the composition of 288 member state Assembly, BJP will bag three Rajya Sabha seats while the remaining four will go to the Sena-NCP-Congress combine. If sources are to be believed, the NCP is asking the Shiv Sena to spare an extra Rajya Sabha seat for it. The Congress has 44 MLAs in the House and can easily win one seat.
Of the seven retiring MPs, the return of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar is a foregone conclusion. The NCP will take a decision on its second candidate only after Sena's green signal. Thus, the future of NCP's Majeed Memon hangs in the balance.
The BJP leadership has assured Ramdas Athawale, Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment of his re-election though his RPI doesn't have the numbers. But uncertainty continues about the remaining two BJP candidates.
Highly placed sources in the BJP say that there is an outside chance of Devendra Fadnavis being brought to Delhi through Rajya Sabha and inducted into the Union Ministry. The former Maharashtra Chief Minister is a blue-eyed boy of the Prime Minister and wants to use him in national politics as the party is not keen to destabilize the Uddhav Thackeray government, at least for now. But no final decision has been taken. Fadnavis has been in Delhi for campaigning and held talks with members of the party high command. Amar Shankar Sable, sitting BJP MP is also a contender for being renominated for second term. The name of Ajay Sancheti, a former RS MP, is also being mentioned. One also hears that a noted economist may be brought to Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra. Uday Raje Bhonsle who quit his Lok Sabha to join the BJP, is also in the reckoning.
It is also learnt that Shiv Sena sitting MP Rajkumar Dhoot is unlikely to make a cut this time. But the intense battle is going on in the Congress for the lone Rajya Sabha seat. The sitting MP Husain Dalwai is not to be renominated and many are in the fray including Rajni Patel, Rajiv Satav, Milind Deora, Rajiv Shukla and Mukul Wasnik. Prithviraj Chavan is also keen to return to national politics quitting his MLA seat.
The biennial polls will be held early next month.
Ends
