RS polls: Cong turncoats Chavan and Deora, NCP's Patel among 6 candidates who file nomination

Mumbai: All six candidates who are in the fray for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Maharashtra, including Congress turncoats Ashok Chavan and Milind Deora, filed their nomination papers here on Thursday.

Elections to the six seats of the Upper House of Parliament from Maharashtra are likely to go unopposed considering the strength of the ruling allies and the opposition Congress in the assembly.

The BJP, part of the ruling 'Mahayuti' coalition in Maharashtra, has nominated former chief minister Chavan, a day after he joined the party, former MLA from Pune Medha Kulkarni, and 'kar sevak' and RSS worker Dr Ajit Gopchade, who has been associated with the party for years.

Chavan, Kulkarni and Gopchade filed their nomination papers at the Vidhan Bhavan here.

From Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Praful Patel filed his nomination.

Patel was accompanied by Ajit Pawar, party leader Sunil Tatkare and ministers Chhagan Bhujbal and Dhananjay Munde.

Talking to reporters after filing the nomination, Patel said, "This (his nomination) is part of a political strategy and things will get clear in the coming days." Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena's Milind Deora and Congress candidate Chandrakant Handore also filed their nominations.

Deora, a former Union minister, joined the Shiv Sena only last month. While he has been a two-time Lok Sabha member from Mumbai, this will be Deora's first election for the Upper House.

Handore, a Dalit leader from the Congress, was accompanied by Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders at the time of the filing of his nomination paper.

Six Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra are up for grabs as the terms of the sitting MPs are expiring. The election is scheduled for February 27.