BJP presses for two Council, one RS seat from Maharashtra

Saffron allies Shiv Sena and BJP are likely to be on collision course, as the latter is pressing for two Legislative Council and one Rajya Sabha seat in the biennial elections slated next month.

Saffron allies Shiv Sena and BJP are likely to be on collision course, as the latter is pressing for two Legislative Council and one Rajya Sabha seat in the biennial elections slated next month.

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"We have told Shiv Sena that they should contest one and let us have two seats for the Legislative Council this time," BJP sources told PTI.

According to them, Shiv Sena is unwilling to do so as two Sena members - Diwakar Raote and Anil Parab - retire on July seven and the party feels that it should retain both the seats.

However, Sena leader Subhash Desai said the party is yet to decide its strategy for the impending elections. "We will discuss the issue with party executive president Uddhav Thackeray, who is currently out of town."

Biennial elections will be held to ten Legislative council and six Rajya Sabha seats next month.

Sitting BJP MLC Prakash Shendge was elected to the Legislative Assembly in the last election and hence the council seat had fallen vacant. Apart from Raote and Parab, Shiv Sena MLC Suresh Jethaliya was elected to the Assembly creating vacancy in the Upper House.

"Even though Shiv Sena has three seats out of the total ten where elections will be held on June 10, it cannot contest all the three seats again. As per the present party position in the Legislative Assembly, Sena-BJP can get three candidates elected. But, the question is who will have two and who will get to keep one seat," sources said.