RS polls: Praful Patel, Milind Deora & Chandrakant Handore file nominations

NCP leader Praful Patel, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena's Milind Deora and Congress candidate Chandrakant Handore on Thursday filed their nominations for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls from Maharashtra. Patel was accompanied by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sunil Tatkare and ministers Chhagan Bhujbal and Dhananjay Munde when he filed the nomination paper at the state legislature complex here.

Talking to reporters after filing the nomination, Patel said, "This (his nomination) is part of a political strategy and things will get clear in the coming days."

Handore, a Dalit leader from the Congress, also filed his nomination. He was accompanied by Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders. Deora, whom the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Shinde on Wednesday nominated, also filed his nomination. Deora, a former Union minister, joined the Shiv Sena only last month. While he has been a two-time Lok Sabha member from Mumbai, this will be Deora's first election for the Upper House. Six Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra are up for grabs as the terms of the sitting MPs are expiring. The election is scheduled for February 27.

The upcoming election to these six seats is likely to be unopposed considering the strength of the ruling allies and the opposition Congress in the assembly.