Mumbai: The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has zeroed in on veteran politician Sharad Pawar and renominated him for the lone winnable Rajya Sabha seat from Maharashtra.
This compromise came after much deliberations among the three MVA parties, the Shiv Sena UBT, the Congress, and the NCP SP, regarding the 16 March Rajya Sabha polls. Seven Rajya Sabha seats are up for grabs from Maharashtra.
Incidentally, Pawar, 85, is among the seven members whose Rajya Sabha terms expire in April. Due to dwindling numbers in the Maharashtra Assembly, only one seat is confirmed for the opposition alliance.
Earlier in the day, BJP had announced names of four candidates. The BJP leaders had said that if Pawar would be the MVA candidate, then they would not put up any candidate against him.
Though Pawar had earlier hinted at retirement, a NCP SP insider had told ThePrint that after the death of Ajit Pawar, the octogenarian decided to once again take reins in his hands and be in active politics.
आदरणीय पवार साहेब महाविकास आघाडीचे उमेदवार म्हणून राज्यसभेची निवडणूक लढवत आहेत. महाविकास आघाडी तसेच मित्र पक्षांनी आदरणीय पवार साहेबांच्या उमेदवारीला सहमती दर्शवली व पाठिंबा दिला याबद्दल सोनियाजी गांधी, मल्लिकार्जुन जी खर्गे, उद्धवजी ठाकरे, राहुलजी गांधी, आदित्य ठाकरे, प्रियांका…
— Supriya Sule (@supriya_sule) March 4, 2026
For quite some time there was no consensus as all three MVA parties were keen on fielding their own candidates. Till the last minute, Congress state leaders were keen on putting up their candidate.
When ThePrint spoke to two senior Congress leaders, they expressed surprise that the veteran would want to contest the elections, given that he had spoken about retirement earlier.
“May God bless him with good health and a hundred years, but of late, his health is delicate. And so, we did not think he would want to contest the elections,” said one of the senior Congress leaders.
“While everyone knew that we were keen on contesting the Rajya Sabha seat, our allies who act like enemies must have provoked Sharad Pawar to contest. When we have such friends as allies, who needs enemies,” the other Congress leader said.
On record, Congress leaders maintained that though they conveyed to Delhi their intention of wanting to contest, the party high command gave a green light to Sharad Pawar’s candidature on Wednesday afternoon.
Congress state chief Harshwardhan Sapkal told the media that every party hoped to put in their candidate. “Even we wanted our leader, but Sharad Pawar is a very senior leader. He is a big leader of MVA and INDIA bloc and based on that right, we all discussed with MLAs and leaders accordingly,” he added.
Sapkal further said that state leaders held discussions with Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in Delhi.
Until late Tuesday, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena was also keen on having its own candidate. Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Aaditya Thackeray himself was vocal about claiming the Rajya Sabha nomination for his party and made it known on X.
A senior Sena leader said one of the seven seats that is getting vacant is held by Priyanka Chaturvedi. The party, according to this insider said, was reluctant to let go of the seat because without Chaturvedi, Sanjay Raut will be the only other representative in the Upper House of Parliament.
“As an MVA and INDIA bloc partner, it is our party that has consistently stood with the Congress on national issues both inside and outside Parliament. And that is why we thought that we are a fit candidate to get this seat,” the Sena insider said.
“Besides, there were talks of NCP merger and if that happens, our votes will be wasted if the NCP goes with the NDA. But now since Supriya Sule and Jayant Patil came and met Uddhav ji, many issues are cleared and we decided to support Sharad Pawar’s candidature.”
Later, Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut gave a message of unity in the opposition camp, as he posted that “MVA is one and will remain a united force.”
Meanwhile, Pawar’s daughter and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule thanked all the MVA leaders for their support to her father. “We have come together for Maharashtra, for the country. And even in future, we will work together responsibly as a unit just like how we had done in the past,” the Baramati MP said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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