RS polls: Sena, Cong jostle for lone winnable seat

Mumbai: The upcoming Rajya Sabha polls have emerged as a crucial test for the MVA’s unity, as both Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress on Monday staked claim to the alliance’s lone winnable seat while insisting that internal talks are ongoing.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray denied any deadlock in the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi’s talks for the March 16 polls, asserting that the solo seat should go to his party due to its numerical strength.

The last date for filing nominations for polls to the seven Rajya Sabha seats is March 5. The elections will be held on March 16, and votes will be counted on the same day.

Speaking to PTI, Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal also stressed that his party is firm on its claim to contest the seat, but said that talks were underway and decisions would be taken after consultations.

Thackeray, in a post on X, said, “There is no deadlock in talks for the Rajya Sabha; all parties are in communication with each other. We have put forward our claim on the upcoming Rajya Sabha seat, as numerically and in terms of the rotation policy fixed for the MVA, the seat should be contested by the @ShivSenaUBT.”

Senior party leader Sanjay Raut said discussions within the MVA are on for the lone Rajya Sabha seat ahead of the March 16 polls, but as the single largest Opposition party, the stand of the Shiv Sena UBT will be crucial to the decision.

Speaking to reporters, Raut said that several leaders, including former MPs Rajan Vichare and Vinayak Raut, have met party chief Uddhav Thackeray to express their desire to contest the Rajya Sabha polls.

Rajan Vichare and Vinayak Raut lost the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

“Talks are underway consistently among the constituents, and it will continue till the last minute. Discussion among the prominent leaders of the parties is on,” he said.