Election for seven Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra likely to be unopposed

The biennial Rajya Sabha elections for seven seats from Maharashtra are likely to be unopposed with as many candidates in the fray on the last day of filing of nominations papers today. Sharad Pawar and Majid Memon (NCP), Murli Deora and Hussain Dalwai (Congress), Rajkumar Dhoot (Shiv Sena), Sanjay Kakade (Independent) and RPI leader Ramdas Athavale supported by BJP have filed in their papers. The scrutiny of papers will be held tomorrow and the last date of withdrawal of nominations is January 31. The elections were necessitated as the expiry of term of sitting members Prakash Javdekar (BJP), Bharatkumar Raut and Rajkumar Dhoot (Shiv Sena), Murli Deora and Hussain Dalwai (Congress), YP Trivedi and Janardhan Waghmare (NCP) -- all from Maharashtra -- ends on April 2. The 288 elected members of the Legislative assembly form the electoral college for the elections. There is one vacancy due to the death of sitting Congress MLA Subhash Jhanak. The quota for winning candidate is 36. Given the statistics, Shiv Sena is in a position to get only one candidate elected with 45 MLAs and has fielded Rajkumar Dhoot. BJP has given nomination to RPI leader Ramdas Athavale whose party is an ally of BJP-led NDA from its quota replacing Javdekar.