Praful Patel’s Man Friday, Rajendra Jain, beats Bhujbal In race to Rajya Sabha

Senior leader of the Sunetra Ajit Pawar-led NCP Praful Patel’s right-hand man Rajendra Jain filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha here on Monday, edging out party colleague and Food & Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal from the Rajya Sabha race after party leader Sunil Tatkare officially announced Jain’s candidature.

The filing of the nomination in the presence of top leaders of the BJP-led ruling Mahayuti alliance strengthened the chances of Rajendra Jain winning the forthcoming byelection to the Rajya Sabha unopposed.

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The by-election for the Rajya Sabha seat, which became vacant after former Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar became Deputy Chief Minister, will be held on June 18.

Bhujbal’s chances of going to the Rajya Sabha seemed bright until Saturday night. However, after he conditioned his participation in the Rajya Sabha byelection on his nephew, Sameer Bhujbal, is made a Maharashtra cabinet minister, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asked him to wait until he speaks with senior BJP leaders in Delhi.

According to party sources, on Sunday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah made it clear he was not inclined to appoint Chhagan Bhujbal’s nephew as a Maharashtra cabinet minister.

Finally, NCP leader Sunil Tatkare confirmed here on Monday that his party would field Praful Patel’s right hand man as the party’s candidate for the Rajya Sabha by-election from the Baramati seat vacated by Sunetra Pawar.

After announcing his candidature for the Rajya Sabha by-election in Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar faction leader Rajendra Jain suddenly came to the centre of political discussion in the state.

Rajendra Jain, unknown outside the Vidarbha-Gondia region, once worked as a personal assistant (PA) to former Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel. Jain reportedly played a major role in building Sunetra Ajit Pawar’s NCP organisation in East Vidarbha and devised the party’s election strategies.

Meanwhile, Bhujbal expressed his displeasure after being bypassed for a Rajya Sabha byelection nomination, saying, “I am a kabaddi player, not a chess player”.

“I have been one of the founding members of the party along with Sharad Pawar. I had demanded that just like how family members, sons and daughters of others get ministerial posts or Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha or Legislative Council seats, I too should be treated in a similar manner,” he said, defending his demand to make his nephew a Maharashtra cabinet minister, while he was present when his party colleague Rajendra Jain filed his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha byelection on June 18.