MUMBAI: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena have joined hands to back industrialist Rahul Bajaj as an independent candidate for election to the Rajya Sabha seat that fell vacant after Pramod Mahajan’s death.

The news has shocked the Congress, which is in government in the state in coalition with the NCP. Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, said the party is trying to speak to NCP chief Sharad Pawar. “He is out of the country; we will decide what to do on Monday.”  

NCP state president Arun Gujarathi told DNA: “Our party has decided not to support the Congress party’s candidate Avinash Pande (a former MLA from Nagpur) for the seat. This is because the Congress did not support the NCP’s candidate in the recently held election to the legislative council.”

But, he said, the party’s high command has not yet made an official announcement about backing Bajaj. Neither could official confirmation be obtained from the BJP and Shiv Sena.

Earlier, the BJP was toying with the idea of naming Rahul Mahajan as its candidate for the seat.

Meanwhile, Sena chief Bal Thackeray has named Saamna editor Sanjay Raut and Leader of the Opposition Ramdas Kadam as leaders of the party.