Maha Yuti vs Vikas Aghadi: Interesting battle for 6 seats in Maharashtra polls amid retiring MPs

The Rajya Sabha polls for six seats in Maharashtra in April - around the time when the 2024 Lok Sabha polls would be held - its going to be interesting with the political spectrum divided into two alliances - the BJP-led Maha Yuti (NDA) and the Congress-spearheaded Maha Vikas Aghadi (I.N.D.I.A).

The electoral college comprises the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and the MY-NDA has a combined strength of over 200-plus MLAs.

The retiring members are Narayan Rane, Prakash Javadekar and V Muraleedharan (all three from BJP), Kumar Ketkar (Congress), Anil Desai (Shiv Sena) and Vandana Chavan (NCP).

They were elected to the Rajya Sabha in March-April 2018 - when the political equations were different - then the NDA chiefly comprised BJP and undivided Shiv Sena, the other side was the Democratic Front (UPA) comprising Congress and NCP.

While Desai belongs to the Uddhav Thackeray-led group, Chavan is from the Sharad Pawar-led group.

Both the sides have kept cards close to their chest - and also it depends on negotiations within the two alliances because of the arithmetic in the Assembly.

In the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, the BJP tops the chart with 105 members followed by Shiv Sena - 56 (Eknath Shinde - 40, Uddhav Thackeray - 16), NCP - 53 (Ajit Pawar 35 to 40 MLAs and rest with Sharad Pawar), Congress - 45, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) - 3, Samajwadi Party - 2, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) - 2, Prahar Janshakti Party - 2, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena - 1, Communist Party of India (Marxist) - 1, Peasants and Workers Party - 1, Swabhimani Paksha - 1, Rashtriya Samaj Paksha - 1, Jan Surajya Paksha - 1, Krantikari Shetkari Paksha - 1 and Independents - 13.

The BJP would not allow the elections to go unopposed.

With Milind Deora, former two-term Mumbai South Lok Sabha MP, resigning from Congress and joining Shiv Sena, there are reports that he could be given a nomination to the Upper House by Shinde.

Because of the depleted strength of the groups led by Pawar and Thackeray, it is difficult for them to get their party persons elected on their own strength. The Congress' role is going to be crucial.

As far as the BJP is concerned, it is to be seen whether Rane and Jawadekar are repeated. Rane is the MSME Minister in the Narendra Modi-government. There are other aspirants in BJP.