Mumbai: All seven candidates, including NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Union Minister of State Ramdas Athawale, and BJP leader Vinod Tawde, were declared elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha in the biennial elections. A notable feature of the election emerged when Athawale was elected as a nominee of his Republican Party of India (Athawale) — RPI(A) — even though his candidature had initially been announced as an official BJP nominee.
According to sources, hectic last-minute developments enabled the RPI leader, who serves as Minister of State for Social Justice, to retain his party identity in the Rajya Sabha. He is believed to have impressed upon senior leaders in Delhi that he should contest as an RPI candidate rather than as a BJP nominee.
Accordingly, he submitted his party’s A and B forms, which provide formal party authorisation along with the party symbol. Interestingly, soon after his name was announced by the BJP national headquarters, Athawale avoided giving a clear reply on whether he would contest as a BJP candidate or as an RPI nominee.
Some senior BJP leaders, while congratulating him after the announcement from Delhi, referred to him as a BJP candidate. Had Athawale not insisted on retaining his party identity, the RPI(A) would have lost its separate identity as an ally within the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Following the official announcement by the Election Commission of India (ECI), the BJP now has three nominees elected unopposed — Vinod Tawde, Maya Inamdar, and Ramrao Wadkute.
Senior leader Sharad Pawar (NCPSP), Parth Pawar (NCP), and Dr Jyoti Wagmare (Shiv Sena) are the other candidates declared elected. Senior NCP MLA Jayant Patil accepted the certificate of election on behalf of Sharad Pawar, who is currently resting on medical advice.
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