Maha Vikas Aghadi Fields Sharad Pawar for Rajya Sabha Elections

Mumbai: After a series of negotiations and tough-calls, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) seems to have reached a consensus and decided to field veteran politician Sharad Pawar — who has completed six decades in electoral politics - for the biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra even as the BJP announced its list of candidates, springing surprises by not repeating candidates. ANYTIME, ANYWHERE. Experience a more refined e-paper today READ NOW ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The BJP, which leads the ruling Maha Yuti, announced the names of BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde, a Maratha face, eminent tribal leader Maya Chintaman Ivnate, a former member of the National Commission of Scheduled Tribes and former Nagpur Mayor; and Ramrao Wadkute, a former MLC, who hails from the Dhangar community. Besides, the BJP will also back prominent Dalit leader and Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale, president of the Republic Party of India (Athawale), giving him another term. It may be mentioned that the NCP has announced the candidature of Parth Pawar, the son of deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar and the late Ajit Pawar. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links Stories You May Like Andhra road accident: Benga luru family of five killed Undo Two held for killing man after dispute at eatery in Bengaluru's Basaveshwara... Undo Trump Assassination Plot: Iranian Leader Killed by US Undo The Shiv Sena led by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde is yet to announce the candidate's name, as two to three people are seeking the Rajya Sabha berth. Also Read:MVA yet to decide candidature for Rajya Sabha elections on March 16 Also Read:MVA yet to decide candidature for Rajya Sabha elections on March 16 On the other hand, the MVA seems to have reached a consensus with the Congress backing Sharad Pawar's candidature. The announcement was made after a meeting involving State Congress president Harshavardhan Sapkal, NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule, Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiear, NCP (SP) MLA Dr Jitendra Awhad, Congress MLC and group leader Satej Patil and State Congress vice president Mohan Joshi. The development follows meetings between Sule and NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil with Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray. “Yes, we had staked claim to the Rajya Sabha seat as a national party, and there was a strong demand for it. However, respecting MVA’s coalition ethics and after discussions with NCP(SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT), our high command has decided to support Pawar Saheb following Mallikarjun Kharge’s instructions,” said Wadettiwar, a two-time leader of the opposition in the Legislative Assembly. Soon after the Congress and NCP (SP) made the announcement, Thackeray’s aide and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said, “Finally, the Congress has taken a decision on Rajya Sabha elections)…MVA is united and will remain united.” ADVERTISEMENT Published 04 March 2026, 18:58 IST India News Congress Indian Politics Maharashtra Sharad Pawar Rajya Sabha Elections NCP (SP) Follow us on : Follow Us Read More