Political parties in Maharashtra have finalised their candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, with a total of seven nominees set to file their nominations for the seven available seats on Thursday. The Mahayuti alliance and the opposition bloc have both named their representatives, setting the stage for an uncontested election if all nominations are accepted.
Shinde Sena Picks Jyoti Waghmare
The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has nominated Jyoti Waghmare as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls. Waghmare hails from Solapur in western Maharashtra and is known as a prominent Scheduled Caste (SC) leader. She currently serves as a spokesperson for the party and has been active in representing Dalit issues and party positions in public debates. As per reports, her nomination is seen as an attempt by the Shinde faction to strengthen its representation of socially marginalised communities in national politics.
BJP announces four candidates
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced four candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections from Maharashtra. The nominees include Vinay Tawde, Ramdas Athawale, Maya Iwante and Ramrao Wadkute.
Allies and Opposition nominees
Apart from the BJP and Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), other allies within the Mahayuti alliance have also fielded candidates. The Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has nominated Parth Pawar for the Rajya Sabha seat. On the opposition side, the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party faction is expected to field a candidate from the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance. With seven candidates for seven seats, the election is likely to proceed without a contest unless unexpected political developments occur during the nomination process.
Rajya Sabha elections 2026
The Election Commission has announced that biennial elections to 37 seats in the Rajya Sabha will be held on March 16. The polls will take place across 10 states: Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Assam, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar. The elections have been necessitated as the incumbent members are retiring this year. The maximum number of Rajya Sabha seats going to polls is in Maharashtra at 7, while 6 seats are falling vacant in Tamil Nadu and six each in West Bengal and Bihar. Odisha will have 4 seats falling vacant. Assam will see polls to 3 seats. Chhattisgarh and Haryana will each have 2 seats going to polls, as will Telangana. Himachal Pradesh will have 1 seat up for election. The Congress is projected to improve its position in Telangana, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, where it is likely to gain seats.
