Uddhav Thackeray did not keep his word, says Sambhajiraje who backed out of Rajya Sabha polls

Sambhajiraje has alleged that Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray did not keep his word after Shiv Sena announced candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls. Earlier, there were reports that Shiv Sena might field Sambhajiraje as a candidate.

A day after Shiv Sena announced candidates and filed nominations for two seats in the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls, Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje backed out of the race for the sixth seat.

Shiv Sena had an alternate name lined up to be fielded as the party’s second candidate after talks with Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje, a descendant of the Kolhapur royal family, hit a roadblock.

Rajya Sabha election is slated to be held on June 10. Of the six seats, the BJP could win two seats. The three parties of the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition - the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress party (NCP) and the Congress - can win one seat each. The sixth seat was a topic of debate after Sambhajiraje threw his hat into the ring.

READ | Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati makes fight for 6th Rajya Sabha seat interesting in Maharashtra

After the snub, Sambhajiraje lashed out at the Shiv Sena leadership for betraying him. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had agreed to support me, but he did not keep his word, he alleged.

"In the first meeting, he gave me a proposal to join Shiv Sena but I refused the offer and clarified that I have decided to contest as an independent candidate. Then I proposed fielding myself as a Shiv Sena-supported independent candidate. To which he agreed and the final draft was sent to me though Sena's delegation," he said.

"However, minor changes were made in the draft on my demand, after which I left for Kolhapur to get my documents ready for nomination. Meanwhile, I saw news flashing all over the media that I have been invited to Varsha bungalow, CM's official residence, to join the party the next day. After that, I tried to reach out to CM Uddhav but did not get any response," Raje claimed.