MUMBAI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has urged MLAs of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government to vote "as per their conscience" for the Rajya Sabha elections to be held on June 10.
There are six Rajya Sabha seats for Maharashtra for which elections will be held.
The party has nominated three candidates while it has enough votes to easily elect two candidates.
While the names of Union minister Piyush Goyal and Dr Anil Bonde were announced early Sunday evening, Dhananjay Mahadik’s name was announced late Sunday night.
All three candidates filed their nominations together on Monday morning.
To be elected each candidate requires 42 votes.
The BJP has 105 legislators in the Maharashtra assembly.
BJP MLA Ashish Shelar, while addressing a press conference at the party headquarters on Thursday, said the party has 22 surplus votes.
“BJP is confident it will win all the three seats. The Shiv Sena has only 13 surplus votes and yet it has put up a candidate. The BJP does not believe in horse trading and will not do so. We urge all to vote as per their conscience,” said Shelar.
He added that no action can be taken against an MLA for voting for the third candidate of her/his choice, he said.
