Industrialist Rahul Bajaj was elected to the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. He was elected to the seat that was vacant after the death of BJP leader Pramod Mahajan. An independent candidate, Bajaj's candidature was supported by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance.

Bajaj polled 195 votes beating Congress nominee Avinash Pande who secured 90 votes. Bajaj needed a minimum 145 votes in the 289-member state Assembly to win.

While the NCP led by Sharad Pawar has made it clear that supporting Bajaj will not affect NCP's relationship with the Congress, the Congress is not too happy with Bajaj's views on reservation. Speculation is rife that the NCP may join Shiv Sena-BJP during the elections in Maharashtra. The NCP maintains that Bajaj was an independent candidate and it was only a coincidence that the Shiv Sena and BJP also supported him.

According to reports, Bajaj said that he did not know why Congress did not support him but he highlighted his family's support to the Congress for years. He also made it clear that he would not use his position to further his business interests and the two-wheeler industry. He said that he had never sought favours from the Government and would not start now.