The Congress is poised to face a fresh hurdle in Maharashtra over Rajya Sabha elections after the NCP (SP) staked a claim to the lone seat the opposition could get in the state. The elections for seven Rajya Sabha seats in Maharashtra are scheduled for March 16. Of these, only one seat is expected to go to the opposition alliance.
Both Congress and the NCP have demanded the seat, and a crucial meeting was held between the leaders of the party on Thursday.
Congress has been demanding the seat, citing its stature as the national party. The party leaders believe the need of the hour is to increase the number of Congress members in the Upper House. The leaders have stated that the seat is a matter of prestige for the Congress.
Meanwhile, NCP has been emphasising Sharad Pawar’s experience. Supriya Sule stated during the meeting that Pawar, being a senior leader of the country, had to be present at the Rajya Sabha to maintain the party’s strength and influence at the national level. The NCP (SCP) will announce its final position only after knowing what Sharad Pawar's personal wishes are in this regard.
Seven Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra are set to become vacant. These include Dr. Bhagwat Karad and Dhairyasheel Patil of the BJP, Sharad Pawar and Fauzia Khan, Priyanka Chaturvedi of Shiv Sena (UBT), Rajni Patil from Congress and Ramdas Athawale from RPI.
However, due to their dismal performance at the Assembly elections in 2024, six out of the seven seats will go to the opposition, leaving just one seat for the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi.
The Congress has reasons to worry. Supriya Sule is offering Uddhav’s party a re-election for its leader, Uddhav, to the state’s Upper House in the Legislative Council elections scheduled for May this year.
While Uddhav gets his due for supporting Pawar, the Congress is left with nothing. The state leadership also fears that Sharad Pawar might become part of the NDA in central politics and the ruling Grand Alliance (Mahayuti) in state politics. Especially, in the context that discussions about the merger of the two NCP factions, which reportedly began before the death of NCP leader Ajit Pawar in a plane crash, have not yet been fully resolved.
