Mumbai, March 4 (IANS) The BJP on Wednesday announced its four candidates from Maharashtra for the upcoming Rajya Sabha biennial elections. The party has strategically focussed on organizational influence and “social engineering.”

The most notable name on the list is Vinod Tawde, the BJP National General Secretary and Bihar incharge. This nomination marks Tawde’s return to active parliamentary politics after being away from the legislative fray since 2019.

Alongside Tawde, the party has renominated Ramdas Athawale, the National President of the RPI (Athawale) faction and sitting Union Minister of State. The other two candidates include Maya Chintaman Ivnate, a tribal leader, former mayor of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation and Ramrao Wadkute who hails from Dhangar community from Hingoli district.

Political analysts suggest that the BJP has carefully curated this list to appeal to diverse demographics and regions. By selecting these four faces, the party through social engineering has attempted to represent the Maratha, Tribal, OBC, and Dalit communities.

Besides, the BJP has attempted to strike a regional balance as the candidates represent a geographical spread across Vidarbha, Marathwada, and Konkan, ensuring the party’s influence is maintained across different belts of Maharashtra.

In Maharashtra, biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha’s seven seats is slated for March 16 and the final date for filing nominations is on March 5.

The NCP has already announced nomination of late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s son Parth Pawar. Shiv Sena and the Maha Vikas Aghadi have yet to announce their candidates.

The BJP is in quite a comfortable position and the elevation of the four nominees is certain in view of its present strength.

On the other hand, one candidate each of Shiv Sena, NCP and the Maha Vikas Aghadi will be elected considering their respective strengths in the state Assembly.

The ruling Mahayuti has 233 members – 131 of the BJP, 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.

–IANS

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