A fierce fight is in the offing for the sixth Rajya Sabha seat in Maharashtra after the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielded a third candidate, senior leader from Kolhapur and ex-MP Dhananjay Mahadik.
Earlier, the party had announced the candidatures of Union Minister Piyush Goyal and former Maharashtra Minister Dr. Anil Bonde. All three BJP leaders filed their respective nominations on Monday.
The BJP’s fielding of a third candidate immediately prompted accusations from the ruling Shiv Sena that the former planned to indulge in rampant horse-trading ahead of the June 10 polls.