MUMBAI: After strong claims made by all three of its constituents, MVA has finally decided to nominate NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar as its candidate for the alliance’s sole winnable RS seat from Maharashtra. Thursday is the last day to file nominations for the March 16 polls.State Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal and party colleague Vijay Wadettiwar, along with NCP(SP) MP and Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule, addressed a press conference at the Congress office in south Mumbai to announce Pawar’s name on Wednesday. Sule said Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut had visited Pawar earlier in the day.Asked about Shiv Sena (UBT) politicians’ absence at the press meet to announce the name of Sharad Pawar as MVA candidate for the RS polls, Supriya Sule said Sanjay Raut had visited Pawar earlier in the day, indicating the party’s support for him. Later, Raut posted on social media, “Congress finally took the decision over Rajya Sabha. The MVA is one and will remain together.” Raut had repeatedly said Pawar would be MVA’s candidate, speaking in a tone different from that of Aaditya Thackeray, who had said UBT Sena should get the seat as the single largest party in MVA. Pawar’s nomination comes as a setback for Aaditya and has brought to light the rift between him and Raut, who had suggested Pawar’s name even before Aaditya batted for incumbent MP Priyanka Chaturvedi. Political observers said Raut has emerged a winner and set Sena (UBT)’s agenda. “Going by Raut’s word, it was almost certain the seat would be given to Pawar. In this scenario, the vehement and open attempt to stake claim (by Aaditya) has caused embarrassment. It seems there is a rift in the thought process in the party… This could have an impact on future nominations and the trust factor of the leadership. Sena (UBT) may now get the MLC seat (which will also go to polls), but the RS episode has left a dent,” an observer said. Congress had also claimed the RS seat, arguing it was needed for it to retain the leader of opposition’s post in RS. Sapkal said, “We initially expressed our strong opinion that we should get the seat and discussed it with Rahul Gandhi during his recent visit to the city. Our party president (Mallikarjun Kharge) decided to support Pawar, and he will be our candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls.”Congress had been trying to strike a bargain with Sena (UBT), offering its support for the legislative council seat set to be vacant next month as Uddhav Thackeray’s tenure ends. Sapkal, however, refused to comment about the party’s position on the council seat. Meanwhile, Pawar was discharged from hospital. Based on doctors’ advice and logistic support, the family will decide if he will visit Vidhan Bhavan to file his nomination or will explore alternatives.
