AURANGABAD: Pradnya Satav, the widow of late Congress MP Rajeev Satav, has emerged as the frontrunner for the bypoll of Rajya Sabha seat necessitated after her husband’s death due to post-Covid complications in May 2020.
Rajeev Satav had been a member of the state legislative assembly and was later elected to the Lok Sabha in 2014. He was among the two Congress leaders who could win the seats for the part in the 2014 parliamentary elections. He was elected to the RS in March 2020 for his first term in the Upper House of Parliament.
Besides Pradnya, Uttamsing Pawar, a former MP and another OBC leader, is the only politician from Marathwada who forms the otherwise long-list of aspirants whose names are doing the rounds for the upcoming polls for the Upper House of Parliament.
Pradnya has been given the post of state Congress vice-president recently and is strongly supported by a group of party workers from the region for Rajya Sabha ticket. Satav’s close ties with the party top-brass may help her get the nomination.
“Pradnya and Pawar are two possible OBC faces who could get the nomination. However, outside Marathwada, the party has a long-list of Rajya Sabha aspirants, including some senior politicians. The party leadership will take a call on the final name shortly,” a Congress leader from Marathwada said.
Former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan along with former MPs Mukul Wasnik, Milind Deora and Sanjay Nirupam are considered as hopefuls for the Rajya Sabha ticket.
Satav, who had tested positive for Covid-19 on April 22 and died due to post-Covid complications on May 16, was a close confidant of former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and had shouldered different key responsibilities for the party.
The Election Commission of India has declared the schedule for six Rajya Sabha seats from five states with polling slated to take place on October 4.
