The second candidate from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for the Rajya Sabha, Fauzia Khan, was asked at the last minute to wait yet another day to file her nomination, raising suspicion over whether the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has developed differences over giving two seats to the NCP.
On Wednesday, NCP chief Sharad Pawar filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha and Ms. Khan was to be the party’s second candidate. Sources said the Congress is not too happy with giving two seats to the NCP and as a result, the decision is kept pending till Thursday.
Mr. Pawar, however, denied any differences. “The coordination committee of the three parties will meet tomorrow and finalise the name of the candidate. After that, she will file her nomination,” he said.
Of the seven RS members retiring from Maharashtra, three seats will go to the Bharatiya Janata Party and four to the MVA. Of the four, the tenure of two NCP MPs, Mr. Pawar and Majid Memon and that of Husain Dalwai from the Congress and Rajkumar Dhoot of the Shiv Sena, is ending. The NCP is staking claim to two seats. A section of the Congress is unhappy about this on the ground that it already won a lion’s share in the MVA government, and is saying the second RS seat could be given to the Congress.
State Congress chief and Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat visited Delhi on Tuesday to finalise the Congress candidate’s name. Asked whether the party had done so, he said the decision will be “announced from Delhi”.
