New Delhi: The BJP managed a stunning victory in the Rajya Sabha polls in Maharashtra and the feat has been acknowledged and applauded by NCP chief Sharad Pawar as a ‘miracle’.
The BJP at present has 92 members in Rajya Sabha and may get the support of seven more after vacant nominated members’ spaces are filled in.
For his part, Fadnavis said this was just the beginning as an internal rift within Shiv Sena-led front has come to the fore and ‘non-performance’ has made MLAs of the ruling side unhappy.
Taking a dig at Shiv Sena, which had betrayed BJP in 2019 after assembly polls and allied with Congress and NCP, Fadnavis said – “Even the third candidate of BJP, Dhananjay Mhadik, polled more votes than Shiv Sena’a main candidate Sanjay Raut”.
NCP candidate Sanjay Pawar lost to Mhadik. All three BJP candidates Piyush Goyal, Anil Bomde and Mhadik won the crucial polls.
This is seen as Fadnavis’s sweet revenge on Shiv Sena for dumping the saffron alliance in 2019.
Former Chief Minister Fadnavis’s number management was so smooth that as against the required quota of 41 votes to win a seat, BJP nominees Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal polled 48 votes, Bonde 48 and Mahadik got 41 votes.
The BJP’s success lay in winning 10 additional and 17 total support of Independent and smaller parties. Among the 17 MLAs, only seven were associated with the BJP, but as many as 10 who belonged to the Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance favoured BJP candidates.
In Haryana, BJP sprang a surprise and ensured the defeat of Congress candidate Ajay Maken by a very small margin.
Media baron Kartikeya Sharma, who was backed by the BJP and saffron party’s own candidate Krishan Lal Panwar won.
For the BJP of course legislator, Shobharani Khushwaha indulged in cross-voting and has been placed under suspension. Congress has expelled one of its members Kuldeep Bishnoi from Haryana.
Number-wise, the BJP’s strength in Rajya Sabha now is 92 and Congress has 31. The BJP won 22 of the 57 polls for which were held in different states while the Congress managed to win nine.
The BJP has the support of four nominated members and the saffron party may get the support of seven more nominated members after they are filled.
Former Chief Justice, Ranjan Gogoi, who is also nominated has not joined any party. Four nominated members who joined BJP include Mahesh Jethmalani, Sonal Mansingh, Ram Shakal and RSS ideologue Rakesh Sinha.
