Mumbai, Mar 15 (NIE): After Shiv Sena questioned Narayan Rane’s nomination to Rajya Sabha (RS), saying that chief of one party cannot become member of another party, questions have also been raised on the Legislative Council membership of Dairy Development Minister Mahadev Jankar, Minister of State for Agriculture Sadabhau Khot and Chairman of Chhatrapati Shivaji Memorial Committee Vinayak Mete. Peasants and Workers Party’s (PWP) legislator Jayant Patil raised the issue in the legislative council on Wednesday. “It is a constitutional issue that Jankar, Khot and Mete are presidents of political parties registered with the Election Commission. How can presidents of other parties be members of the legislative council from BJP ?” asked Patil, without naming Rane.

Jankar, Khot and Mete are part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). While Jankar is president of Rashtriya Samaj Paksh, Mete is president of Shiv Sangram Party. Khot, who was with Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, has floated Rayat Kranti Sanghatana in September last year. State Education Minister Vinod Tawde defended Jankar, Khot and Mete, stating that when their nomination forms were filed, the officials from the Election Commission had scrutinized and accepted them. “Then, they have won the elections. The candidate belongs to a party of whose AB form they had attached during the nomination,” said Tawde.

Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar, Chairman of the legislative council said that he would consult the legislature secretariat and election officials on the issue. “We will take the opinion of the advocate general if required and will inform the house about it,” he said.

On Tuesday, Shiv Sena had questioned Rane’s RS nomination from BJP, asking whether he has joined the BJP and quit Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksh, the party floated by Rane in September last year, after quitting the Congress and allied with the BJP-led NDA.