Sharad Pawar, Athawale in race for a Rajya Sabha berth from Maharashtra

POlitical parleys intensified on midweek for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Maharashtra as the nationalistic u.s. Congress company (Sharadchandra Pawar) pitched company patriarch Sharad Pawar for one seat, and the ruling Mahayuti moved to finalise its nominees, including Union minister Ramdas Athawale, for the polls.There are seven Rajya Sabha seats going to the polls in Maharashtra on March 16. In the 288-member assembly, two seats are currently vacant. A candidate requires 36.75 first preference votes – effectively 37 – to win.The ruling Mahayuti has 233 members – 131 of the Bharatiya Janata Party, 57 of the Shiv Sena and 40 of the NCP – and is likely to win six seats, with the support of smaller parties and independents, which number nine.The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi has 46 – the Shiv Sena (UBT) has 20, the Congress 16 and the NCP (SP) 10 – and can therefore win only one seat.On Wednesday, NCP (SP) national working president Supriya Sule said that it was everyone’s wish that Sharad Pawar be re-elected to the Rajya Sabha. To make this possible, the party will speak to allies Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), she said.Two senior NCP (SP) leaders — Jayant Patil and Shashikant Shinde — sought to meet Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray to make a formal request in this regard NCP (SP) leaders said. Sule has already spoken to Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs Sanjay Raut and Anil Desai, Sule said.“It is the wish of everyone that Pawar saheb be re-elected to the Rajya Sabha. The overwhelming support reflects the respect and affection people have for him. Senior leaders from our party and I will request the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) to ensure his unanimous re-election,” Sule told reporters in New Delhi.“Pawar saheb has completed 60 years in public life and has consistently received immense support. We are looking for the same sort of support once again,” she added.Sule said she will speak to top Congress leaders such as party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and general secretary KC Venugopal.The octogenarian leader has completed two terms as Rajya Sabha MP and seven terms in the Lok Sabha.On the Mahayuti side, the names of Union minister Ramdas Athawale, party national general secretary Vinod Tawde, former Union minister Raosaheb Danve, national women commission chief Vijaya Rahatkar, and outgoing MP Dharyasheel Patil were being discussed, a senior BJP leader said.The state core committee – comprising chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, state unit chief Ravindra Chavan, revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule and others – held a meeting Tuesday night to take a call on the nominations.The 15-member central election committee – comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, BJP chief Nitin Nabin, other senior party leaders and Fadnavis – will finalise the names for the Rajya Sabha.State BJP leaders said the party might renominate Athawale.The BJP can get four members elected, if it corrals the support of its allies and smaller parties. For its fourth candidate, the party is short of around 12 votes, which can come from the Shiv Sena, which will have around 20 votes left after its one candidate wins, and the NCP, which will have three votes after its candidate wins.“Since the Rajya Sabha nominees are elected in an open ballot system, there is no point in fielding one more Mahayuti candidate expecting cross voting by the opposition MLAs. Secondly, on the basis of the strength from both sides, the number of seats possible to be won have no ambiguity,” said a BJP minister, requesting anonymity.[6:28 AM]