MUMBAI: Rahul Bajaj, industrialist, was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra on Thursday. The proceedings were marked by a sharp exchange of words between the State's ruling Democratic Front partners, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party. Mr. Bajaj, who contested as an independent, had the support of the NCP and the Opposition Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party. He polled 195 votes, defeating Congress nominee Avinash Pande, who got 90 votes in a House of 288. Three MLAs did not vote.

The Rajya Sabha seat fell vacant following the murder of BJP leader Pramod Mahajan.

"I will work in the interest of India and Maharashtra and will represent industry but certainly not the two-wheeler industry," Mr. Bajaj said after his victory was declared. He said he had never sought any favours from the Government. Now, as a Rajya Sabha member, he would not seek any either.

Asked why the Congress did not support his candidature, he said he would not know for he was not a politician and did not intend to be one. He underscored the Bajaj family's support to the Congress for generations.

The Congress took exception to the NCP supporting Mr. Bajaj despite his known anti-reservation views and the saffron alliance Shiv Sena-BJP supporting him.

State president Prabha Rau said: "With this, it is now known that those who had claimed to be pretended to be secular and on the side of reservation are really so or not." She did not rule out the possibility of the outcome influencing political equations in the State.

The NCP, however, stressed that nothing would change and that the Congress continued to be its friendly party. State president Arun Gujarathi said nobody could say that Mr. Bajaj was not secular. "Mr. Bajaj was an independent candidate and we were the first to extend our support to him. It is only a coincidence that the Shiv Sena and the BJP also supported him."

The political equations in the State would not change. The Government would continue to be stable and relations between the two partners would remain cordial, he added.

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