Monday, June 5 2006 12:43 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: The BJP today (June 5, 2006)formally decided to support industrialist Rahul Bajaj as an independent candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat which fell vacant following the death of senior party leader Pramod Mahajan.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the BJP Central Election Committee here chaired by party president Rajnath Singh and attended by senior leaders including L K Advani, Jaswant Singh and Sushma Swaraj.

BJP would be supporting Bajaj's candidature along with its saffron ally Shiv Sena and the NCP.

The BJP president had earlier approached NCP chief Sharad Pawar for nominating somebody from the Mahajan family for the vacant seat but the latter expressed helplessness saying the Congress had turned down the request.

The BJP's decision is being seen as an attempt to expose the reported rift between the ruling partners NCP and Congress in Maharasthra.