Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi is all set to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the party for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
#NewsAlert: @ShivSena to nominate #PriyankaChaturvedi for #RajyaSabha seat.
— Mumbai Mirror (@MumbaiMirror) March 12, 2020
According to the reports, Shiv Sena decided to nominate party leader Priyanka Chaturvedi for the lone Rajya Sabha seat which it is contesting out of the seven seats that are going to the polls. Chaturvedi is considered to be one of the closest aides of the Tourism Minister and Shiv Sena prince Aditya Thackeray.
Priyanka Chaturvedi, who started her political career with the Congress party in 2010, had quit the party last year over its failure to punish the party leaders accused of misbehaving with her during a press conference in Mathura in 2018. Reportedly, she was also miffed because of the denial of the party ticket to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Mumbai. The Congress party had instead offered the ticket to Bollywood entertainer Urmila Matondkar to contest from North Mumbai seat.
Subsequently, she had quit the party and had joined the Shiv Sena before the 2019 general elections.
A total of 55 Rajya Sabha seats across 17 states will go to the polls on March 26. Out of the seven Rajya Sabha seats that are going to the polls in Maharashtra, NCP currently holds two seats while Shiv Sena, BJP and Congress have one seat each. The other seats are held by RPI(A) chief Ramdas Athawale and a BJP-backed Independent candidate. With the existing support of allies in Maharashtra, the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress are assured of winning at least four of the seven seats due to its numerical strength in the Maharashtra Assembly.
The NCP will contest two seats, its allies Shiv Sena and Congress have settled for one seat each. NCP Supremo Sharad Pawar is slated to retain his seat and NCP leader Fauzia Khan will be another nominee from the party.
On the other hand, BJP has named Udayanraje Bhosale, Ramdas Athawale, and Bhagwat Karad as its three candidates. The last day for filing nomination is March 13. The counting of votes will take place on March 26 itself after the voting concludes.
