MVA names Sharad Pawar as Rajya Sabha candidate from Maharashtra

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Wednesday formally announced Sharad Pawar as its sole candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election, raising the possibility of an unopposed contest in the State.The announcement came a day before the deadline for filing nominations for the March 16 Rajya Sabha polls. Leaders from the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) addressed a press conference in south Mumbai to confirm Pawar’s candidature.
State Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal, along with senior party leader Vijay Wadettiwar and NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, announced the decision. Sule said Sanjay Raut, a senior leader from the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), had earlier visited Pawar to convey support for his candidature.Soon after the announcement, Raut posted on social media that the alliance remained united. “Congress finally took the decision over Rajya Sabha. The MVA is one and will remain together,” he said.
Pawar’s nomination is being viewed as a setback for Aaditya Thackeray, who had argued that the Rajya Sabha seat should go to Shiv Sena (UBT), the largest party within the alliance. Aaditya had supported the continuation of incumbent MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, while Raut had repeatedly maintained that Pawar should be the alliance’s consensus candidate.Political observers say the development highlights differences within the Sena (UBT) leadership, with Raut’s position ultimately prevailing in the alliance’s decision-making.
The Congress had also sought the seat, arguing that securing it would help the party retain the Leader of Opposition position in the Rajya Sabha. Sapkal said the party had conveyed its position during Rahul Gandhi’s recent visit to Mumbai.“Our party president Mallikarjun Kharge has decided that the Congress will support Sharad Pawar, and he will be our candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls,” Sapkal said.Congress had reportedly attempted to strike a political arrangement with Shiv Sena (UBT), offering support for a Legislative Council seat expected to fall vacant next month when the term of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in the state council ends. However, Sapkal declined to comment on the party’s stance regarding that seat.
Meanwhile, Pawar was recently discharged from hospital, and his family is expected to decide whether he will personally visit the Vidhan Bhavan to file his nomination or explore alternative arrangements based on medical advice.With the nomination now finalised, Pawar’s entry into the Rajya Sabha is expected to strengthen the MVA’s presence in Parliament while also reshaping internal dynamics within the opposition alliance in Maharashtra.