Rahul Bajaj meets Sena, BJP leaders ahead of filing nomination

Mumbai, June 5 (UNI) Noted industrialist Rahul Bajaj, who is slated to file his nomination as an independent candidate for the June 15 Rajya Sabha byelection, today came to Vidhan Bhawan here and held a meeting with Shiv Sena and BJP leaders here.

He is scheduled to file his papers before the close of nominations at 1500 hrs today.

Before Mr Bajaj arrived, BJP leader Gopinath Munde, former Lok Sabha Speaker and Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Manohar Joshi, Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray and party MP Sanjay Raut arrived together at the Vidhan Bhawan.

The byelection has been necessitated to fill in the vacany following the death of sitting BJP MP Pramod Mahajan.

Clad in a white Kurta-Pyjama, Mr Bajaj arrived at Vidhan Bhawan at around 1240 hrs and held a half-an-hour-long meeting with BJP and Sena leaders.

He told the waiting mediapersons that he was informed about his candidature last night. ''I am not ready with my papers. I am going to my office and will return soon.'' Asked whether Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (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 said.

On if Mr Pawar does not support him, Mr Bajaj jokingly said, ''He (Pawar) cannot enter India, and that is for record.'' On when he will return to Vidhan Bhawan, he just said, ''If I have to file my nomination, I will be coming back,'' he said while leaving in his car.

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