Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 5 (ANI): NCP-SCP MP Supriya Sule on Thursday expressed gratitude to key leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Uddhav Thackeray, and Mallikarjun Kharge, for supporting Sharad Pawar’s Rajya Sabha nomination. The decision was made by the Maha Vikas Aghadi, reflecting a show of unity among alliance partners.
MP Sule thanked Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Uddhav Thackeray, Sanjay Raut, Aaditya Thackeray and Mallikarjun Kharge, along with Congress and Shiv Sena leaders, for standing with the party and supporting the decision taken by the alliance.
“From the bottom of my heart, I am grateful to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Uddhav Thackeray, Sanjay Raut, Aaditya Thackeray… and Mallikarjun Kharge, as well as every Congress leader who stood with us, and senior Shiv Sena leaders with whom we worked, and those who worked with Sharad Pawar saheb for six decades, I am deeply thankful to them from the bottom of my heart for the decision they took on behalf of the Maha Vikas Aghadi to fill Sharad Pawar saheb’s form, and I am truly grateful to everyone”, Sule told reporters.
Based on the current legislative strength in the Maharashtra Assembly, the ruling Mahayuti alliance has the numbers to comfortably win six of those seats. The opposition MVA alliance–comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar)–has exactly enough combined votes (needing 36 first-preference votes) to secure the seventh and final seat.
Earlier on March 4, Congress MLA Vijay Wadettiwar said the party will support Sharad Pawar for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls, following a call from the high command and Mallikarjun Kharge.
He added 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.
Speaking to the reporters, Wadettiwar said, “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.”
The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for the upcoming biennial elections to the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) to fill the 37 seats across 10 states, as the members are set to complete their term in April 2026, a press note stated.
According to the press note, the term of 37 members who were elected from Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana will conclude in the month of April, vacating the seats for new members to be elected.
The notification will be issued on February 26, commencing the election process. The last date of nominations is March 5, followed by scrutiny on March 6. The candidates can withdraw their nominations till March 9.
The polling is scheduled to take place on March 16, with the counting of votes on the same day at 5 pm. (ANI)