Congress tells Shiv Sena (UBT) it wants Rajya Sabha seat from Maharashtra to ‘safeguard’ LoP post

MUMBAI: With senior Congress MPs like Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Rajni Patil, Phulodevi Netam and KTS Tulsi retiring, the Congress' strength in the Rajya Sabha could go below the 10% threshold so Congress functionaries have approached Sena UBT for the seat from Maharashtra in case it loses RS seats in other states. The Congress has appealed to UBT Sena in the "national interest".

The development also raises fresh question marks over the NCP (SP)'s demand that Sharad Pawar be nominated to the RS.




A senior UBT Sena functionary said that NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule met Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday to push for Sharad Pawar's name for the seat. However, even after the meeting, the UBT Sena said that no name has been finalised.

Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray on Monday claimed there is no deadlock in talks for the Rajya Sabha seat. "All parties are in communication with each other. We have put forward our claim on the upcoming Rajya Sabha seat, as numerically and in terms of the rotation policy fixed for the MVA, the seat should be contested by the Sena (UBT). This also aligns with all the political stands that we have taken as the INDIA alliance," Aaditya said in a post on X.

And though Congress and Sena (UBT) are in talks over the seat, Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has pitched for Sharad Pawar, saying repeatedly that he will fight the RS polls. Raut has said there is no doubt in his mind that Pawar will contest. On Monday, Raut said Pawar will never go with NDA, in an indirect reference to arguments made by both Raut's own party and Congress that there is uncertainty about NCP (SP) as there are talks about merger of the two NCPs.

He acknowledged that both the UBT Sena and Congress had their own "worries" about the seat. "Congress is worried about the LoP, and Sena (UBT) is worried about its two seats in Rajya Sabha," Raut said.

A Congress functionary said, "The Congress has said that during the MLC polls, it will back the Sena (UBT) for re-nominating Uddhav Thackeray as his MLC term is ending in April. Getting the RS seat is not merely a party-centric demand but is essential for maintaining stability within both the INDI bloc at the Centre and the MVA in Maharashtra. So we have told the Sena (UBT) that the move is not just an MVA demand but essential for the INDI bloc at the Centre."

The RS polls are scheduled for March 16.

Seven Rajya Sabha MPs from the state are retiring on April 2. According to the numbers in the state assembly, six candidates of the Mahayuti will be elected to the RS, and if the BJP puts up a seventh candidate, there could be a close fight.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Holi wishes, messages and quotes !