Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) chief Sharad Pawar will represent the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the Rajya Sabha, with the Congress declaring its support for him in the 16 March Rajya Sabha polls.
Congress MLA Vijay Wadettiwar on Wednesday said the party will support Sharad Pawar for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls, following a call from the high command and Mallikarjun Kharge.
Wadettiwar said that while Congress had initially claimed the seat, coordination with NCP and adherence to Maha Vikas Aghadi ethics led to backing Pawar, reflecting unity among alliance partners ahead of crucial elections.
“We had claimed the Rajya Sabha seat because our party is a national party. There was a strong demand for it. However, many leaders from the NCP Sharad Pawar faction contacted us and also reached out to Uddhav Thackeray. Among them, Sharad Pawar is the senior-most… We are abiding by the ethics of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Our high command has decided to support Pawar Saheb. We’ve received a call that Mallikarjun Kharge has decided that Pawar Saheb should be supported,” Wadettiwar said.
Nationalist Congress Party-SCP MP Supriya Sule expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the MVA allies, particularly the Congress and the Shiv Sena-UBT, for nominating her father, Sharad Pawar, for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
“I am eternally grateful to the Congress and Shiv Sena for the large-heartedness they have shown,” she told news agency ANI.
Earlier on Sunday, the Congress high command held a meeting at the residence of Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi to discuss the selection of candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, sources said.
The Election Commission of India has announced elections to 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states. Of these seats, 12 are currently held by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), while 25 are with opposition parties.
Seven Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra are set to fall vacant in April. With over 230 MLAs in the 288-member assembly, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is well positioned to ensure the election of all its four nominees.
BJP fields Athwale and Tawde from Maharashtra
The BJP on Wednesday announced four candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Maharashtra, nominating Union minister Ramdas Athawale and former state minister Vinod Tawde, among others, for the Upper House.
Besides Athawale and Tawde, the party has also fielded Maya Chintaman Ivnate and Ramrao Wadkute for the biennial elections.
The Rajya Sabha members from Maharashtra retiring this year include NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, Athawale, who heads RPI (A), Fauzia Khan of NCP (SP), Rajni Patil (Congress), Priyanka Chaturvedi of Shiv Sena (UBT), and BJP leaders Dhananjay Patil and Bhagwat Karad.
Polling will be held on March 16 between 9 am and 4 pm, with counting scheduled to commence at 5 pm the same day.
