MUMBAI: AICC on Sunday appointed veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who is also the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, as observer for the June 10 Rajya Sabha election.
The otherwise routine election has assumed significant political importance in view of the presence of seven nominees against six vacancies. The Congress has nominated Imran Pratapgarhi, the NCP has fielded Praful Patel, the BJP has chosen Piyush Goyal, Anil Bonde and Dhananjay Mahadik, while the Shiv Sena has nominated Sanjay Raut and Sanjay Pawar.
Prima facie, it appears that Pratapgarhi, Patel, Goyal, Bonde and Raut will be elected based on the strength of their parties in the legislative assembly, while there will be contest between Pawar and Mahadik. Raut, the Sena MP, has claimed that it will be a smooth sailing for Pawar, while state BJP president Chandrakant Patil has expressed confidence about Mahadik’s victory.
Kharge, who had played a crucial role in the formation of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state, will coordinate with the three alliance partners to ensure the victory of all the four nominees of the MVA.
Earlier, an MVA delegation had met former state chief minister Devendra Fadnavis requesting that the BJP withdraw Mahadik’s candidature to avoid a contest in the elections. In bargain, the MVA team had promised to concede an additional seat to the BJP in the coming legislative council polls. However, Fadnavis rejected the proposal.
