Pawar, Athawale in race for a Rajya Sabha berth from Maha

Political parleys intensified on Wednesday for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Maharashtraas the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) pitched party patriarch Sharad Pawar for one seat, and the ruling Mahayuti moved to finalise its nominees, including Union minister Ramdas Athawale, for the polls.

- Surendra Gangan and Faisal Malik

There are seven Rajya Sabha seats going to the polls in Maharashtra on March 16. In the 288member assembly, two seats are currently vacant. A candidate requires 36.75 first preference votes - effectively 37—to win.

The ruling Mahayuti has 233 members ~ I31 of the Bharatiya Janata Party, 57 of the Shiv Sena and 40 of the NCP —and is likely to win six seats, with the support of smaller parties and independents, which number nine.

The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi has 46 — the Shiv Sena (UBT) has 20, the Congress 16 and the NCP (SP) 10—and can therefore win only one seat.

On Wednesday, NCP (SP) national working president Supriya Sule said that it was everyone's wish that Sharad Pawar be reelected to the Rajya Sabha. To make this possible, the party will speak to allies Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), she said.