Former Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP] MP Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati — a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji and a royal from Kolhapur district in western Maharashtra — on May 12 said he would contest the Rajya Sabha elections as an independent.
Speaking in Pune, Mr. Sambhajiraje, an influential leader in the Maratha community, said he would float a new outfit called ‘Swarajya’ to spread the ideas of Maratha warrior king Shivaji as well as the great reformer Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur among the masses.
Stating that the outfit would be non-political as of now, Mr. Sambhajiraje, who was appointed as an MP in the Upper House under the President’s quota, said he would begin a tour of the State soon. However, he did not rule out the possibility of his outfit gradually morphing into a political one.
