MUMBAI: In a bid to retain the leader of opposition (LoP) post in the upper house, the Congress has dialed Uddhav Thackeray urging him to concede the sole Rajya Sabha seat that the Maha Vikas Aghadi can win out of the seven for which polls are set to be held in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra Congress in-charge and Kerala Congress MLA Ramesh Chennithala made a phone call to Uddhav Thackeray and told him that the Rajya Sabha seat should be given to the Congress, while in return the party will concede the MLC seat to the Shiv Sena (UBT).
The last day to file nominations for the Rajya Sabha seat is March 5 while the election result is scheduled to be announced on March 16.
All three partners in the MVA alliance are eyeing this Rajya Sabha seat, which can be won with the support of their 46 MLAs.
In the MVA, the Shiv Sena (UBT) is the single largest party with 20 MLAs, while the Congress is the second largest with 16, and the NCP (SP) has only ten.
Sources said that the Congress has conveyed to Uddhav Thackeray that this sole Rajya Sabha seat from Maharashtra is very important for the party as if they do not get it, there are chances that it may lose its claim over the leader of opposition post. “To get the LoP in the Rajya Sabha, any opposition party needs to have 10 per cent of the total seats of the upper house or 25 members. Presently, the strength of the grand old party is 27, but there are many outgoing members so they need to maintain the number at 25. In this context, even one Rajya Sabha seat matters, therefore, the Congress leadership requested Uddhav Thackeray not to be adamant over it. In return, the Congress is ready to give one MLC seat to the Shiv Sena (UBT),” said a source who requested anonymity.
On the other hand, Shiv Sena (UBT) youth leader Aditya Thackeray continues to demand that they should be given this sole Rajya Sabha seat as their party members performed well in the upper house, and given the chance, they will continue to do so.
Interestingly, veteran politician and architect of the MVA, Sharad Pawar, is also eyeing this Rajya Sabha seat to continue his presence in active politics in Delhi. His daughter, Supriya Sule, urged alliance partners to help elect her father to the Rajya Sabha, as he is a respected voice.