Mumbai: Shiv Sena`s Anil Desai and Pune-based builder Sanjay Kakade on Friday filed nominations for the biennial elections to Rajya Sabha, scheduled on March 30.

Maharashtra has six vacancies for Rajya Sabha, including union ministers Vilasrao Deshmukh and Rajiv Shukla, besides former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi whose terms end on April 2.

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Shiv Sena has replaced Joshi with Anil Desai, a party functionary who handles the Sthanik Lokadhikar Samiti, an organisation affiliated to Shiv Sena which works for providing jobs to the sons-of-the-soil. Kakade`s entry into the poll fray as an independent will necessitate an election which will make NCP`s bid to win the second seat tough. The last date for filing of nomination is March 19.

The 288-member Legislative Assembly will be the electoral collage for the elections. With 82 seats, Congress can comfortably get its two candidates elected. But, NCP with 62 MLAs has to rely on Independents and smaller parties. 44-year-old Kakade, who is founder promoter of the Kakade Group of Companies, has declared assets of more than Rs 500 crore which includes movable assets worth Rs 330 crore and immovable assets to the tune of Rs 160 crore.

Desai has declared assets worth Rs 5.36 crore which include a house in South Mumbai.

PTI