Vinod Tawde, Ramdas Athawale among four BJP nominees for Rajya Sabha polls from Maharashtra

The BJP announced on Wednesday names of the four candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Maharashtra, including Union minister Ramdas Athawale and former state minister Vinod Tawde.

The party has also declared Nagpur ex-mayor Maya Chintaman Ivnate and former member of the legislative council (MLC) Ramrao Wadkute as contenders for the biennial elections.

Seven Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra are set to fall vacant in April. With over 230 MLAs in the 288-member assembly, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is in a position to ensure the election of all its four nominees.

The Rajya Sabha members from Maharashtra retiring this year include NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, Athawale, who heads RPI (A), Fauzia Khan of NCP (SP), Rajni Patil (Congress), Priyanka Chaturvedi of Shiv Sena (UBT), and BJP leaders Dhananjay Patil and Bhagwat Karad.

Polling will be held on March 16 between 9 am and 4 pm, with counting scheduled to commence at 5 pm the same day.

Earlier in the morning, Athawale met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the CM's official residence 'Varsha' in south Mumbai. The meeting was in connection with the Rajya Sabha polls, PTI reported quoting a source close to Athawale.

Wadkute, who is from Hingoli district, told the media that he had not expected to be fielded as a candidate by the BJP. He joined the ruling party a few years ago.

"I joined the BJP because I had faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Devendra Fadnavis. This party works at the ground level. I simply focused on my work without expecting anything in return," he said.

Tawde expressed his gratitude to his party leadership for the nomination and said he is committed to "fulfilling this new responsibility with complete dedication and loyalty".

"Under the guidance of the Hon'ble Prime Minister @narendramodi ji and the leadership of National President @NitinNabin ji, we remain committed every moment for the nation's welfare. For this nomination, respectful thanks to Maharashtra's Chief Minister @Dev_Fadnavis ji and State President @RaviDadaChavan ji!," he said in a post on X.

Former Nagpur mayor Ivnate is currently a corporator in the city civic corporation.

The Election Commission of India has announced elections to 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states. Of these seats, 12 are currently held by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), while 25 are with opposition parties. Rajya Sabha members are elected by MLAs through a system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.

With the demise of MLAs Ajit Pawar and Shivajirao Kardile, the effective strength of the Maharashtra assembly has come down to 286 for the purpose of calculating the quota. A candidate needs 37 votes to be elected.

According to the present composition of the assembly, the BJP has 131 MLAs after accounting for one vacancy, while Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena has 57 members. The NCP, led by Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar, has 40 MLAs after one vacancy.

From the opposition camp, the Congress has 16 MLAs, the NCP (SP) has 10, and the Sena (UBT) has 20.

Among smaller parties and others, the Samajwadi Party has two MLAs, Jansurajya Shakti has two, Rashtriya Yuva Swabhiman Party (1), Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (1), AIMIM (1), CPI-M (1), the Peasants and Workers Party of India (1), Rajarshi Shahu Vikas Aghadi (1), and there are two Independents.

The ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, the Shiv Sena, and the NCP, along with smaller allies and Independents, commands 234 MLAs. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), consisting of the Congress, the NCP (SP) and the Sena (UBT), along with supporting smaller parties, has 49 MLAs, while others account for three.

On the basis of the 37-vote quota, the BJP, with the support of an Independent, effectively has 132 votes, enabling it to secure three seats comfortably and contend for a fourth. The Shiv Sena can secure one seat and would have surplus votes thereafter. The NCP can also ensure the election of one member.

The MVA's combined tally translates into the assured election of one candidate. By this arithmetic, the Mahayuti alliance can win up to six of the seven seats, subject to cross-voting or strategic transfers under the preferential voting system.

(with agency inputs)