The Election Commission has declared the election schedule for 37 Rajya Sabha seats in 10 states. Voting for these 37 seats will be held on March 16. Of the vacant seats, 12 are with the NDA, while 25 are with the opposition parties. Elections will be held on maximum 7 seats in Maharashtra. After this comes 6 seats in Tamil Nadu, 5 seats each in West Bengal and Bihar.
Prominent leaders from Maharashtra whose tenure is ending on April 2 include Sharad Pawar, Ramdas Athawale, Fauzia Khan, Rajni Patil, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Dhairyasheel Patil and Bhagwat Karad. Voting will be held on March 16 from 9 am to 4 pm and counting of votes will begin at 5 pm on the same day.
7 Rajya Sabha seats of Maharashtra: What is the mathematics of victory?
Total MLAs in the Assembly: 286
(Two seats – vacant due to demise of Ajit Pawar and Shivaji Kardile)
quota calculation formula
- Total MLAs (286) ÷ (Vacant seats 7 + 1) + 1
- 286 ÷ 8 = 35.75
- 35.75 + 1 = 36.75
- That means a candidate needs at least 37 votes to win.
Which party has how much power?
- BJP – 1 reduced from 132 to 131
- Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) – 57
- NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) – reduced by 1 from 41 to 40
- Congress – 16
- NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) – 10
- Shiv Sena (Thackeray faction) – 20
- Samajwadi Party – 2
- Janasurajya Shakti – 2
- National Youth Swabhiman Party – 1
- National Society Party – 1
- AIMIM – 1
- CPI (M) – 1
- PWP – 1
- Rajarshi Shahu Vikas Aghadi – 1
- Independent – 2
- Total strength of Mahayuti: 234
- Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA): 49
- Others: 3
Who can win how many MPs?
BJP
131 + 1 independent support = 132 MLAs
132 ÷ 37 = 3.56
That means at least 3 and possibly 4 BJP MPs can win.
Shiv Sena (Shinde faction)
57 + 1 independent = 58
58 ÷ 37 = 1.56
1 MP from Shinde group confirmed, 20 votes additional.
Nationalist (Ajit Pawar faction)
40 MLAs
40 ÷ 37 = 1.08
1 MP from Ajit Pawar group confirmed, 3 votes additional.
Mathematics of Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA)
Congress (16) + Nationalist Sharad Pawar faction (10) + Shiv Sena Thackeray faction (20) = 46
Small allies (SP 2 + CPI(M) 1) = 3
Total = 49 MLAs
49 ÷ 37 = 1.32
That means 1 MP from MVA is confirmed.
final estimate
How many seats can Mahayuti win?
- BJP – 3
- Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) – 1
- NCP (Ajit Pawar Faction) – 1
- 1 more from extra votes
- Overall, 6 MPs of Mahayuti can win comfortably, while 1 MP of MVA can win.
How do states get Rajya Sabha seats?
The total number of members of Rajya Sabha is 250. Of these, 12 members are nominated by the President, while 238 members represent states and union territories. Seats are allotted to states on the basis of their population. Uttar Pradesh being the largest state, it has got maximum 31 seats.
How are Rajya Sabha members elected?
Single transferable vote system is applicable in Rajya Sabha elections. MLAs vote in order of priority (1, 2, 3, 4…). If a candidate gets more votes than the required quota or a candidate is not in a winning position, the votes are transferred.
Retiring members from Maharashtra
- Sharad Pawar
- Ramdas Athawale
- Fauzia Khan
- Rajni Patil
- Priyanka Chaturvedi
- Dhairysheel Patil
- Bhagwat Karad
Election program regarding Rajya Sabha
- March 5 – Last date for nomination
- March 6 – Scrutiny of nominations
- March 9 – Last date for withdrawal of names
- March 16 – Voting from 9 am to 4 pm, counting from 5 pm