Rajya Sabha polls: MVA govt, NCP cornered, misled Sambhaji, says Fadnavis

BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said the MVA government and NCP chief Sharad Pawar misled and cornered Sambhaji Chhatrapati in the run up to the polls for six Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra

Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said the MVA government and NCP chief Sharad Pawar misled and cornered Sambhaji Chhatrapati in the run up to the polls for six Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra.

Sambhaji Chhatrapati, a descendant of Shivaji Maharaj and prominent Maratha leader, who had announced that he would contest the RS polls as an Independent, had, earlier in the day, said he was pulling out after failing to garner support for his re-election bid.

"The way MVA treated Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati is highly condemnable. It seems the (state) government deliberately cornered him. When he had approached me and informed that he wished to contest as an Independent, I had made it clear that if he managed to get support across parties, I will speak to our high command (about giving extra party votes to him)," Fadnavis said.

Lashing out at the NCP supremo, the former chief minister said, "Pawar was aware this time his party will have to give its extra votes to Shiv Sena for the latter's second seat. Still, he misled Sambhajiraje and ensured there would be more confusion."

Despite knowing that the Sena would field two candidates and that the NCP would have to support its MVA ally, Pawar had said if Sambhaji contests as an Independent, then NCP's additional votes would go to him, Fadnavis further alleged.