Rahul Bajaj files nomination for RS seat

Mumbai, June 5: Noted industrialist Rahul Bajaj today filed his nomination as an independent candidate, for the June 15 Rajya Sabha byelection, backed by the Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP The byelection has been necessitated to fill in the vacany following the death of sitting BJP MP Pramod Mahajan.

Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray and BJP leader Gopinath Munde told mediapersons here that, ''After Mr Mahajan's death, we were looking for a good candidate who would effectively represent the interests of Maharashtra in Rajya Sabha.'' ''Mr Bajaj and his family are known not only in Maharashtra, but the entire country, so, we, along with the NCP, have decided to come together to support Mr Bajaj's candidature,'' they said.

When asked about the changing equations and combinations in the State politics, with Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) joining hands with Sena-BJP to defeat the Congress candidate, both the leaders said, ''As of now, we have come together to support Mr Bajaj's candidature. Let's wait and watch and see what happens in future.'' On Sena's stand against party MLAs who defied the party whip in the last week's legislative council election, Mr Thackeray said he disclose later what action the party takes against them.

Replying to a question on Mr Bajaj's known anti-reservation stand, Mr Munde said, the industrislist was ''an independent candidate and it is not necessary that we may agree with all his views in the present byelection. We want to rise above politics and want to give Maharashtra a good representative in the Rajya Sabha.'' Mr Munde also demanded that the Congress withdraw its candidate and support Mr Bajaj, whose family has a legacy of participation in the freedom struggle and close association with Mahatma Gandhi.

''Mr Bajaj is the most appropriate candidate for the Sena-BJP and NCP to back,'' Mr Thackary assrted.

During the filing of nominations, alongwith former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi, Mr Munde and Mr Thackeray, NCP leaders Madan Bafna and Sachin Ahir, RPI(A)'s Pappu Kalani and PWP's Jayant Patil were also present.

Earlier in the day, Mr Bajaj had come to the Vidhan Bhawan and held a meeting with Shiv Sena and BJP leaders.

When he was asked whether the NCP was supporting him, Mr Bajaj said he would have to ask Mr Pawar about this, who is presently in New York. Mr Praful Patel (NCP) is also out of the country he noted.

On if Mr Pawar does not support him, Mr Bajaj quipped that then ''he (Mr Pawar) could not enter India, and that is for record.''

UNI