Mumbai: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced its candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections from Maharashtra. There were talks that Union Minister Ramdas Athawale might not get another term, but the BJP has given him a ticket again. The party has also selected Vinod Tawde as a candidate. Along with them, two more leaders have been chosen. Through this list, the BJP seems to have balanced different communities and also supported its alliance partners.
Before announcing the names, several meetings were held in Mumbai and Delhi. Senior leaders discussed many possible candidates and finally agreed on four names. There are seven Rajya Sabha seats empty from Maharashtra. Since the BJP has strong numbers in the state Assembly, it can easily win three to four seats.Important meetings were attended by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, state BJP president Ravindra Chavan, and senior leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule. After discussions, the final list was approved by the central leadership.
On the other hand, there is still confusion in the opposition camp. Senior leader Sharad Pawar is said to be interested in going to the Rajya Sabha. His daughter Supriya Sule and leader Jayant Patil met Uddhav Thackeray to discuss this matter. However, no final decision has been taken yet. Everyone is now waiting to see whether Sharad Pawar will return to Parliament or not.
