Bajaj gets a 3-wheeler for RS ride

MUMBAI: Signalling the possibility of a new front against the Congress, veteran industrialist Rahul Bajaj on Monday filed his nomination for Rajya Sabha election in the presence of NCP, Shiv Sena and BJP leaders. This is to fill the vacancy created by the untimely demise of BJP’s Pramod Mahajan.

The BJP earlier wanted to field Mahajn’s son Rahul, but has happily extended its support to another Rahul, the Bajaj boss. And to take on Mr Bajaj, the Congress has fielded a greenhorn, Avinash Pande. The 288-member state Assembly constitutes the electoral college for Rajya Sabha election. Of the total members, the Congress’ strength is 73 while its alliance member NCP has 71.

With the Shiv Sena (58) and the BJP (54), along with the NCP, strongly backing Mr Bajaj’s candidature, the outcome now becomes a foregone conclusion. There was a sense of celebration in the Opposition camp even before the election is held on June 15. Mr Bajaj was accompanied by Gopinath Munde and Shiv Sena’s working president Uddhav Thackeray.

“Mr Bajaj was a good candidate who would be able to represent the state in Rajya Sabha,” Mr Thackeray claimed. Asked if getting together of the Sena, the BJP and the NCP was beginning of a new political equation in the state, Uddhav said: “Right now, this is limited to only Rajya Sabha elections. Let’s see what happens in future.”

The BJP was more guarded: “We were looking for a candidate who would manage to get excess votes in order to win the by-election. Considering Mr Bajaj’s stature and his family’s contribution to the growth and development of the country, we are confident that he will win the election.”

The party, however, wanted to downplay the significance of joining hands with the NCP. “It is premature to speak on this,” a BJP leader said. Meanwhile, chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh was not so pleased about the development while Prabha Rau, the state Congress chief, refused to comment.

“The NCP has not conveyed its official decision in this regard,” Ms Rau said. “They are our allies and we assume that they will support us,” she said adding, “When Sanjay Nirupam’s Rajya Sabha seat fell vacant after he resigned from the Shiv Sena and joined the Congress, we conceded the seat to the NCP because they had more numbers and we expect a similar stand from them in the present situation.”

Mr Deshmukh said the lone Rajya Sabha seat in the state should go to the Congress which is now the single-largest party. “In the Rajya Sabha elections last time, the seat had gone to the NCP as their numbers were more and we had supported them. This time, our numbers are more so it is natural that the seat should come to the party,” the chief minister told reporters here.

Asked if new equations are emerging in the state politics in the wake of the Rajya Sabha polls, he merely said: “I will not comment till another nomination is filed.”