BREAKING: Ajit Pawar's Wife Sunetra Pawar Files Nomination For Rajya Sabha Polls

New Delhi: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has nominated his wife, Suntera Pawar, for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. Sunetra Pawar on Thursday, June 13, filed her nomination for the upcoming Rajya Sabha bypolls. 

Sunetra Pawar reached Vidhan Bhawan in Mumbai, earlier today. She was accompanied by Ajit Pawar and Maharashtra Minister Chhagan Bhujbal. The decision to nominate Sunetra Pawar for Rajya Sabha by the NCP leadership comes days after she lost the Lok Sabha elections to her sister-in-law. In the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections, Sunetra Pawar lost from the Baramati constituency, while Supriya Sule registered her fourth consecutive win.

On Sunetra Pawar's nomination, senior NCP leader Praful Patel said, “After careful thinking, we have nominated Sunetra Pawar for Rajya Sabha by-elections. We informed our allies about our decision.” Sunetra Pawar's nomination comes after Patel resigned from the Rajya Sabha membership, just two years into his term. If elected to Rajya Sabha, Sunetra Pawar will have a four year term in the upper house of the Parliament. 

Bhujbal on Sunetra's Nomination 

Chhagan Bhujbal, who wanted the seat for himself, said that it was party's decision to send Sunetra Pawar to Rajya Sabha. “The NCP has decided to field Sunetra Pawar for Rajya Sabha elections. Even I was keen on contesting the elections, but during a meeting on Wednesday evening, party leaders finalised her name,” said state minister and senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal.  “Everyone has to accept the party's decision. There are some compulsions. I am not an independent person, but a party worker and leader,” Bhujbal said when asked if he was disappointed over not being fielded for the Rajya Sabha polls.

10 Seats fall Vacant in Rajya Sabha Post Lok Sabha Polls 

Rajya Sabha seats have fallen vacant after its members were elected to to Lok Sabha in the just-concluded general elections. The Rajya Sabha secretariat has notified ten vacancies in the Upper House, including two each in Assam, Bihar and Maharashtra, and one each in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tripura.