Sharad Pawar Nominated as MVA’s Rajya Sabha Candidate, Unity Test for Maharashtra Alliance

Ending days of speculation in Maharashtra politics, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, formally announced Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar as its sole candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election, potentially setting the stage for an unopposed contest in the state.

The Congress central leadership approved Pawar’s candidature, relinquishing its own claim and addressing concerns raised by the Shiv Sena (UBT). “The decision follows Shiv Sena (UBT)’s refusal to capture a stand on the Congress’ proposal for a joint alignment between the two parties for one candidate,” Congress sources told The Hindu.

“The MVA will now support Uddhav Thackeray for his second bid in the upcoming Legislative Council election,” a senior Congress leader and a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader confirmed.

Numbers and Negotiations

The election quota for a Rajya Sabha seat in Maharashtra is 36 votes. Within the MVA coalition, Shiv Sena (UBT) holds the largest number of MLAs with 20, followed by Congress with 16, and the NCP (SP) with 10. “Had the Shiv Sena (UBT) supported the Congress, we still had the strength to field one candidate. But Uddhav Thackeray did not respond to our proposal,” a senior Congress leader said on condition of anonymity.

Some State Congress leaders expressed dissatisfaction with the party not securing either the Rajya Sabha seat or the upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council berth.

Initially, all three MVA constituents had expressed interest in the Rajya Sabha candidature. Congress argued that, as a national party, it needed a stronger presence in the Rajya Sabha to bolster its position as the Leader of the Opposition. Shiv Sena (UBT) maintained that, as the largest opposition party in Maharashtra and adhering to the alliance’s principle of rotation, its claim was valid. The NCP (SP) contended that Pawar’s stature would likely ensure an unopposed election.

An Emotional Decision

Leaders from both the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) described the matter as having taken an emotional turn, with neither party wanting to appear unsupportive of Pawar. “He is a senior leader and unwell. He wants to be in the Rajya Sabha. Supriya Sule (Mr. Pawar’s daughter), too, had been concerned about him. At such a juncture, not supporting him would have sent a wrong message to other allies. Mallikarjun Kharge ji and Sonia Gandhi ji decided that as the leader of the INDIA bloc, we must support him,” sources said.

On Tuesday, March 3, 2026, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, along with State president Jayant Patil, met Uddhav Thackeray for over two hours to discuss the issue.

BJP’s Stance and Upcoming Nominations

BJP sources had previously indicated that the party would not field more than four candidates if Pawar were declared the MVA candidate. On Wednesday, March 4, 2026, the BJP announced four candidates: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, senior leader Vinod Tawde, Maya Invate, and Ramrao Wadkute.

“I thank the Congress central leadership, State leaders, Uddhav Thackeray and his party and family for their support. We are truly grateful,” Sule said.

“The MVA will continue its fight against the BJP. Sharad Pawar going to the Rajya Sabha is a good indication,” Maharashtra Congress president Harshawardhan Sapkal said.

Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar’s grandnephew, Parth Pawar, is set to file his nomination on Thursday, March 5, 2026, as the NCP candidate from the ruling Mahayuti alliance. He is the son of the late NCP leader and Sharad Pawar’s nephew, Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash in January. Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena is expected to finalize its candidate on Thursday, the last day for filing nominations.