MVA allies hold show of strength, also present legislators of smaller parties, Independents

Apart from the Sena, NCP and Congress MLAs, sources said the 12 legislators from smaller parties and Independents also attended the meeting at Trident. The MVA had held a similar show of strength in 2019 during the formation of the coalition government at a Mumbai suburban hotel.

Besides Thackeray, Pawar and Kharge, AICC Maharashtra in charge H K Patil and senior leaders of all three parties attended the meeting.

While the Sena MLAs had initially checked into The Retreat Hotel and Convention Centre Hotel Retreat in Malad, following a meeting of the top leadership of MVA, including Thackeray, Sharad Pawar and Kharge, they were moved to Trident Hotel on Tuesday.

Following the show of strength at Trident, sources said NCP and Congress MLAs were moved to Renaissance hotel in Powai.

Thackeray exuded confidence that all the four MVA candidates will get elected to the Rajya Sabha. After the meeting at Trident, he told mediapersons that MVA has adequate numbers. “No matter how much one tries, all MVA candidates will go to Delhi as MP in the Rajya Sabha.”

He added, “We were following a certain tradition of having unopposed elections to the Rajya Sabha… there is no problem in having some decency in politics… The tradition of electing candidates unopposed to the Rajya Sabha should have been maintained this time as well but it didn’t happen.”

Sources said that during the meeting with legislators, Thackeray said that BJP has forced the Rajya Sabha election and a conspiracy is being hatched. “Thackeray said ‘don’t fall prey to any conspiracy… Like West Bengal, we must also bury the BJP in Maharashtra’. He further said that MVA has the required numbers to win the polls and the victory of four candidates is certain… He added that we must show unity in the Rajya Sabha and the MLC elections and will celebrate after the victory in these elections,” said a source.

Sources further said that Sharad Pawar, during the meeting. said that MVA has absolute majority in the Legislative Assembly and the three allies have decided to contest the Rajya Sabha elections together. “So, the victory of MVA candidates is certain,” Pawar was quoted as saying in the meeting.

“We have the support of Independents. Therefore, there is no problem in getting all the four candidates of MVA elected,” Jayant Patil, NCP state president and Irrigation Minister, told mediapersons.

The contest for the sixth Rajya Sabha seat has become fierce after the Sena fielded Sanjay Pawar, party’s district chief from Kolhapur, and BJP fielded Dhananjay Mahadik, also from Kolhapur. Sena’s Pawar and Sanjay Raut, NCP’s Praful Patel, Congress’ Imran Pratapgadi and BJP’s Piyush Goyal, Anil Bonde and Dhananjay Mahadik are in the fray for the election of the six Rajya Sabha seats.

The BJP MLAs, meanwhile, are likely to check into the Taj Vivanta in Cuffe Parade on Wednesday.