India, Feb. 23 -- The biennial Rajya Sabha (RS) election is turning out to be tricky for the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi. The 2022 election saw cross-voting by Shiv Sena MLAs, after which things took a turn for the worse-leading to the defeat of Sena candidates in the legislative council elections a month later followed by the split in the party and the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray government. Although the March 16 election for seven RS seats may not be as dramatic, it has led to divisions within the MVA. While the NCP (SP) wants its allies to support party chief Sharad Pawar in the polls, the Sena (UBT) wants the same for its chief Uddhav Thackeray in the legislative council. The Congress is not keen on either. The MVA has the strength to elect only one RS seat and one to the legislative council, for which the election is yet to be announced. In a meeting held last Wednesday by AICC in-charge of Maharashtra Ramesh Chennithala, state Congress leaders opposed support to either Pawar or Thackeray, saying that the Congress wanted one of the two seats. They also brought up the talk of a merger between the two NCP factions and demanded that Pawar or his party clarify whether they would go with the NDA in case of a merger. While Pawar has been silent on contesting the RS polls again, his aides insist that he will do this only if he is elected unopposed. This, they said, had already been communicated to the Congress and Sena (UBT) leadership. On Friday, Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray publicly staked a claim on the RS berth. Congress leaders are also irked with Uddhav for helping the BJP win power in the Chandrapur civic body although the Congress was the largest party there, and have asked why they should support him for the council. Meanwhile, NCP (SP) leaders were absent in the opposition's meeting on the eve of the budget session on Sunday, leading to speculation on whether the party is making its unhappiness known over the RS issue. Will things improve in the opposition camp by March 16 or worsen? CM Devendra Fadnavis is reportedly irked with the endless controversies surrounding assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar, the most recent one being a viral video of farmers reacting angrily to an attempt to survey their land in Raigad district. (Narwekar claimed that he was just passing through the area and stopped to intervene in a fight.) Earlier, during the BMC elections too, he was in the news for the wrong reasons: first for securing three BJP tickets for his relatives and later for allegedly preventing opposition and independent candidates from filing their nominations opposite the relatives. Legislative council chairman Ram Shinde too has differences with Narwekar over certain issues. According to CMO officials, Fadnavis is not amused. Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) minister Narhari Zirwal, who was vehemently demanding a merger of the two NCPs, has suddenly changed his tune after one of his staffers was caught accepting a bribe in his Mantralaya office. Zirwal is now saying that the party leadership will decide on the merger. Earlier, when Sharad Pawar faction leaders publicly said the merger was on the cards and NCP-Ajit leaders were denying this, Zirwal told the media that he and several MLAs were in favour of it. On February 12, his staffer was caught red-handed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) accepting a bribe of Rs. 35,000 from a chemist. The ACB is now investigating whether others from Zirwal's office were involved. Zirwal has relieved his personal secretary Ramdas Gade of his charge, and the ACB is likely to interrogate Gade soon. According to party leaders, deputy CM Sunetra Pawar is not happy with the controversy and has put Zirwal on notice. With his chair at stake, it is little wonder that Zirwal retracted his stand on the merger. When MNS chief Raj Thackeray visited Eknath Shinde's residence 'Nandanvan' on Wednesday, there was speculation on the political implications of this, given the friction between the MNS and the Sena (UBT). Raj may or may not have discussed politics but what caught his attention was the way the heritage bungalow was renovated by Shinde retaining its original facade and colonial style. Raj appreciated this and also took special interest in old pictures of heritage structures put up in the bungalow. "At least that is one thing that Uddhavji may not have a problem with," quipped an MNS leader....