RS polls: Close fight between Shiv Sena and BJP in Maharastra for sixth seat; key points

Voting is underway for six Rajya Sabha seats in Maharashtra at the Vidhan Bhavan, the state legislature complex here on Friday, with a close contest being played out between the state's ruling Shiv Sena and the opposition BJP for the sixth seat.

Here are some key points

• The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Friday exuded confidence of a win for all its four candidates in the first preference vote in the Rajya Sabha polls.

• There are a total of seven candidates in the fray for six seats. While the BJP has fielded Union minister Piyush Goyal, former state minister Anil Bonde and former MP Dhananjay Mahadik, the Shiv Sena has given opportunity to MP Sanjay Raut and Sanjay Pawar.

• From the NCP, Praful Patel is in the election ring, while the Congress has fielded Imran Pratapgarhi.

• The contest is primarily for the sixth seat - between BJP's Mahadik and Sena's Pawar.

• This is after more than two decades that Maharashtra is witnessing a contest in the Rajya Sabha polls.

• Shiv Sena has 55 MLAs, NCP 53, Congress 44 , BJP 106, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) three, Samajwadi party, AIMIM and Prahar Janshakti party two each, MNS, CPI(M), PWP, Swabhimani Party, Rashtriya Samaj Paksh, Jansurajya Shakti party, Krantikari Shetkari Party one each, and there are 13 independent legislators.

• The quota for the first preference votes has come down to 41. Congress and NCP have decided to transfer their second preference votes to Shiv Sena's Sanjay Pawar.

• AIMIM MLAs to vote for Congress candidate Imran Pratapgarhi in Rajya Sabha polls