Rahul Bajaj files nomination for RS

New Delhi: Industrialist Rahul Bajaj will contest as an independent candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat that fell vacant after the death of BJP leader Pramod Mahajan.

The BJP agreed to support his candidature at a meeting between the BJP chief Rajnath Singh and Maharashtra BJP leaders Gopinath Munde and Nitin Gadkari.

Bajaj filed his nomination for the Upper House in Mumbai.

Bajaj's nomination has already started created political rift within the Congress.

Congress' ally in Maharashtra - the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) - is joining hands with rivals BJP and the Shiv Sena to support Bajaj's candidature.

The decision to back the industrialist is being seen as a shrewd move by the Sharad Pawar-led NCP to checkmate the Congress.

Incidentally Monday is also the last date for filing a nomination for the RS seat.

Talking to reporters at Vidhan Bhavan, BJP General Secretary Vinod Tawde said the first preference quota of votes for the by-election was 145 and Sena-BJP had a strength of 115.

"We were looking for a candidate who would manage to get excess votes in order to win the by-election. Considering Bajaj's stature and his family's contribution to the growth and development of the country, we are confident that he will win the election," Tawde said.

Tawde added that the BJP has not spoken to the NCP in this regard. Bajaj as a candidate can contact the other party.

When asked about the political significance of the coming together of Shiv-BJP and NCP for this by-election, Tawde replied, "It is pre-mature to speak on this".

Meanwhile, State Congress President Prabha Rau refused to comment on Bajaj's candidature stating that NCP has not conveyed its official decision in this regard.

"They are our allies and we assume that they will support us," she said adding, "when Sanjay Nirupam's Rajya Sabha seat fell vacant after he resigned from the Shiv-Sena and joined the Congress, the Congress conceded the seat to the NCP because they had more number and we expect a similar stand from them in the present situation".