Rajya Sabha Election: Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) today named former union minister Praful Patel as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha election from Maharashtra.
NCP Maharashtra unit chief Sunil Tatkare said, "We have finalised the name of Praful Patel for the Rajya Sabha. We had received expressions of interest from ten individuals. The party has taken this decision keeping all the issues in mind. Tomorrow he will resign from the current Rajya Sabha seat and will fill the candidature form at Vidhan Bhavan tomorrow."
Patel, a former Union minister, sided with Ajit Pawar when the latter split the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party last year.
Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena nominates Milind Deora
Shiv Sena nominated senior leader Milind Deora as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra. The development comes a month after Deora resigned from Congress to join Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
BJP fielded former Congress stalwart Ashok Chavan as its candidate for Rajya Sabha polls from Maharashtra while Congress picked former state minister Chandrakant Handore.
The 'Mahayuti' (grand alliance) comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-helmed Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the 'Mahayuti' candidates will file their nominations on February 15.
Rajya Sabha elections
The Election Commission said that the biennial Rajya Sabha polls will be held on February 27 for 56 seats, as the tenure of incumbents including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and BJP president JP Nadda will end in April. The vacancies also include seats held by nine Union ministers including Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav and Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
The nomination process began on February 8 with the issuance of the notification. February 15 will be the last date for filing nominations while February 20 is the last date to withdraw candidature. As per the established practice, while voting will take place from 9 am to 4 pm, the counting will be held on the same day from 5 pm onwards.
Also Read: Rajya Sabha polls: BJP fields JP Nadda from Gujarat, Ashok Chavan in Maharashtra
