Amid the hype about the contest for the sixth Rajya Sabha seat from Maharashtra, chaotic lobbying is also on in the Shiv Sena for a nomination to the Member of Legislative Council (MLC). According to Sena functionaries, Sachin Ahir from Mumbai and Amsha Padvi from Nandurbar are frontrunners. Two senior Sena MLCs, Diwakar Raote and industries minister Subhash Desai, are retiring.
While the party will drop Raote, who was transport minister in the previous Sena-BJP government, a decision is yet to be taken on renominating Desai, a sitting minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and a key coordinator. A source said the party is likely to drop at least one of the veterans; chief minister Uddhav Thackeray will take a decision on this.
Ahir, who was in the NCP, joined the Sena before the 2019 assembly polls but did not contest from Worli seat. Aaditya Thackeray won the seat by a large margin. But the party is clear that it will nominate a common Shiv Sainik just like Kolhapur district unit chief Sanjay Pawar is the nominee for the Rajya Sabha polls.
KC Padvi is the tribal development minister in the current MVA government. The MVA is once again pitted against the BJP for 10 seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections on June 20. The electoral college comprises the 288 members of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. “Each candidate needs a quota of 27 votes to win. The Sena has enough votes to get its two candidates elected. The party is clear that it will pick hard core party workers over celebrities,” the Sena functionary said.
Just days ahead of the crucial Rajya Sabha elections, the familiar “resort politics” has begun with the ruling Maha Vikas Agadi in Maharashtra corralling its MLAs to a five-star hotel in south Mumbai as part of a strategy to ward off poaching.
Earlier, both Congress and BJP had shifted their MLAs to different resorts in Rajasthan and Haryana to eliminate the possibility of cross-voting. Elections will be held on June 10 to fill 57 Rajya Sabha seats from 15 states falling vacant due to the retirement of members on different dates between June and August. Prominent among those retiring is Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Congress leaders Ambika Soni, Jairam Ramesh and Kapil Sibal, and BSP’s Satish Chandra Misra.
While 11 seats are falling vacant in Uttar Pradesh, six members each are retiring from Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, five from Bihar and four each from Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Karnataka. Three members each from Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, two each from Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Punjab Jharkhand and Haryana, and one from Uttarakhand are also retiring.
A race is on for electing the rest 16 MPs from four states – Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Haryana. The elections to fill 57 Rajya Sabha seats across 15 states will be held on June 10 and the results will be declared the same day. While the BJP’s tally is likely to remain 100, the Congress’ share in the Upper House may increase by a couple of seats.
Elections to the seats that will fall vacant because of the retirement of members on different dates between June and August. Prominent among those retiring are Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Congress leaders Ambika Soni, Jairam Ramesh and Kapil Sibal, and BSP’s Satish Chandra Misra. Rajya Sabha Chunav 2022: States going to polls.
While 11 seats are falling vacant in Uttar Pradesh, six members each are retiring from Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, five from Bihar and four each from Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Karnataka. Three members each from Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, two each from Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Punjab Jharkhand and Haryana, and one from Uttarakhand are also retiring.
Here is a list of states going to the polls on June 10:
- Uttar Pradesh – 11
- Maharashtra – 6
- Tamil Nadu – 6
- Bihar – 5
- Rajasthan – 4
- Andhra Pradesh – 4
- Karnataka – 4
- Madhya Pradesh – 3
- Odisha – 3
- Punjab – 2
- Haryana – 2
- Jharkhand – 2
- Telangana – 2
- Chhattisgarh – 2
- Uttarakhand – 1
Rajya Sabha Elections 2022: Where numbers stand
Maharashtra
In Maharashtra, the ruling coalition Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress coalition has the strength to ensure its victory in all the three seats it holds, while the BJP can comfortably win two of its three seats.
The six Rajya Sabha MPs to be elected from the states would require 42 votes to win. The ruling MVA has 151 votes which are enough to win three seats, but it has fielded four candidates. On the other hand, the BJP gas 106 MLAs and can win two seats but has fielded three candidates.
The MVA needs 15 more votes to secure the seat, which BJP would bag with 13 more seats. Both the MVA and the BJP are reaching out to smaller parties and Independents — a group of 25 MLAs.
The BJP currently has 95 MPs and the Congress 29 in the 245-member house. The BJP will suffer losses in Andhra Pradesh, where it has three outgoing members, Jharkhand and Rajasthan but is hopeful of making upto for its in states like Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where it recently retained power.
The saffron party crossed an important milestone when it touched the 100 marks in the Rajya Sabha, a feat achieved by the Congress in 1988. It hopes to be close to the magic figure of 123 along with allies to complete its poll promises. The Akali Dal’s lone member from Punjab Balwinder Singh Bhunder and Congress’ Ambika Soni are likely to make way for members from the Aam Aadmi Party whose huge strength in the assembly will ensure that it wins both seats.
Five BJP MPs are among the 11 retiring Rajya Sabha members from UP, and the party along with its allies is in a position to win eight seats, while the opposition Samajwadi Party may retain its tally of three. The elections are also likely to see the BSP’s presence in the upper house reducing to a mere one.
Karnataka
Given their strength, the BJP with 121 MLAs and Congress with 70 members are sure to win two seats and one seat respectively. The contest will be for the fourth seat. Despite lacking the numbers to win a Rajya Sabha seat, the JD(S) with 32 MLAs has fielded its lone candidate, Kupendra Reddy.
There’s an all-out fight for the fourth seat between Lehar Singh Siroya (BJP), Mansoor Ali Khan (Congress) and the JD(S) candidate. Interestingly, none of the three parties have the required votes to win the fourth seat, which is why they are reaching out to one another seeking support.
Haryana
The entry of media baron Kartikeya Sharma, who is supported by both the JJP and the BJP — has made the contest close in the state. Sharma’s entry has queered the pitch for Congress’ Ajay Maken who is eyeing a second term in the Upper House.
Sharma needs 31 votes to win — four more than the surplus of the BJP-led alliance. Congress has 31 but fears cross-voting from its camp. JJP leader Ajay Singh Chautala has said all 10 MLAs of the party will support Sharma.
Rajasthan
The entry of another media baron Subhash Chandra, who is backed by the BJP, has made the contest close for the fourth seat where Chandra will be challenging Congress’ Pramod Tiwari.
In the 200-member Rajasthan assembly, each candidate needs 41 votes to win.
The Congress has 108 MLAs and the BJP has 71 votes. The BJP has 30 surplus votes and to win a second seat, it needs another 11. To win the third seat, Congress needs 15 more votes. Smaller parties and independents will, therefore, play a critical role in who wins the seat.
