MUMBAI: While Shiv Sena and NCP have decided to re-nominate Anil Desai and Vandana Chavan to the Rajya Sabha, the decision regarding Congress and BJP candidates is likely to be taken in Delhi.
Both Congress and BJP have too many aspirants. While the BJP’s strength in the state legislature can easily help them send three candidates to the Rajya Sabha, the Congress will be able to send just one nominee while at least a dozen aspirants, including the present MPs, are in the race.
The BJP list is likely to be announced on Monday.
The BJP is also trying to rope in former CM Narayan Rane. He met BJP chief Amit Shah along with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Delhi on Wednesday where he was given the offer, he told The Sunday Standard.
But, Rane is yet to make up his mind. “I feel I should stay in Maharashtra till the general elections are over. Hence, I told them that I’ll need some time to decide whether to take up the offer.”
BJP is unlikely to consider Sancheti, a businessman close to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, again. If it decides to contest only three seats, the other two choices could be Union ministers Prakash Javadekar and Dharmendra Pradhan. Several other names are making the rounds, including that of State Women’s Commission chief Vijaya Rahatkar. But Satish Marathe, chief of Sahakar Bharati, could turn out to be a dark horse in keeping with the BJP leadership’s penchant of putting up unexpected names.