<p class="title">Former Chief Minister Narayan Rane who had quit Congress to join BJP, veteran journalist Kumar Ketkar were among the six candidates elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra on Thursday.<br /><br />The candidates were elected unopposed after Dr Vijaya Rahatkar, the Chairperson of Maharashtra State Women's Right Commission, who was the fourth candidate of the BJP, withdrew her nomination.<br /><br />Those elected on BJP tickets include Ministry of Human Resource Development Prakash Javdekar, V Muraleedharan, a senior BJP leader from Kerela and Narayan Rane, founder of Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha after quitting Congress.<br /><br />Ketkar, a veteran journalist and the President of Mumbai Press Club, was the Congress candidate.<br /><br />Others who got elected include NCP's Vandana Chavan, a former Pune Mayor and Anil Desai, the close aide of Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray.<br /><br />Rane was not inclined to go to the Upper House of Parliament and wanted to play a role in the state politics, however, because of opposition from Shiv Sena - a party where he started his political career - Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis offered him the Rajya Sabha seat.</p>
<p class="title">Former Chief Minister Narayan Rane who had quit Congress to join BJP, veteran journalist Kumar Ketkar were among the six candidates elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra on Thursday.<br /><br />The candidates were elected unopposed after Dr Vijaya Rahatkar, the Chairperson of Maharashtra State Women's Right Commission, who was the fourth candidate of the BJP, withdrew her nomination.<br /><br />Those elected on BJP tickets include Ministry of Human Resource Development Prakash Javdekar, V Muraleedharan, a senior BJP leader from Kerela and Narayan Rane, founder of Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha after quitting Congress.<br /><br />Ketkar, a veteran journalist and the President of Mumbai Press Club, was the Congress candidate.<br /><br />Others who got elected include NCP's Vandana Chavan, a former Pune Mayor and Anil Desai, the close aide of Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray.<br /><br />Rane was not inclined to go to the Upper House of Parliament and wanted to play a role in the state politics, however, because of opposition from Shiv Sena - a party where he started his political career - Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis offered him the Rajya Sabha seat.</p>
