Shiv Sena nominates party deputy leader Priyanka Chaturvedi for Rajya Sabha seat

On Thursday, Shiv Sena decided to nominate party deputy leader Priyanka Chaturvedi for the lone Rajya Sabha seat which it is contesting. 7 Rajya Sabha seats in the state are scheduled to go to the polls, out of which the Maha Vikas Aghadi is assured of winning 4 of them due to its numerical strength in the Maharashtra Assembly. While the NCP will contest 2 seats, its allies Shiv Sena and Congress have settled for one seat each. The last day for filing nomination is March 13.

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Priyanka Chaturvedi's career

Having served as a director of a media and public relations firm in Mumbai, Priyanka Chaturvedi started her political career with the Congress party in 2010. She gradually rose in the party ranks from becoming the general secretary of the Indian Youth Congress from North-West Mumbai in 2012 to being named as the spokesperson of the All India Congress Committee. On April 19, 2019, Chaturvedi joined Shiv Sena as she was aggrieved over the reinstatement of some Congress workers who had manhandled her during a press conference in Mathura in September 2018. Reportedly, she was miffed also because of the denial of the party ticket to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Mumbai. Subsequently, she assumed charge as the deputy leader of Shiv Sena.  

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The scenario in Maharashtra

A total of 55 Rajya Sabha seats across 17 states will go to the polls on March 26. Out of the 7 Rajya Sabha seats due for polls in Maharashtra, NCP currently holds two seats while Shiv Sena, BJP and Congress have one seat each. The other seat is held by RPI(A) chief Ramdas Athawale and a BJP-backed Independent candidate. With 54 seats, NCP can secure only one seat as 38 votes are required for a candidate to win.

However, with the surplus votes of Congress and Shiv Sena, it can bag the second seat comfortably. On Wednesday, NCP chief Sharad Pawar filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha seat. BJP, on the other hand, has named Udayanraje Bhosale, Ramdas Athawale, and Dr. Bhagwat Karad as its three candidates. The counting of votes will take place on March 26 itself after the voting concludes. 

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