Mumbai, March 4 (NationPress) Supriya Sule, the Working President of the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) and Member of Parliament, expressed her gratitude to the leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Wednesday for their support towards party chief Sharad Pawar, who is set to run for the Rajya Sabha election from Maharashtra. The voting is slated for March 16, with the nomination filing deadline on March 5.

Following a press briefing led by state Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal, who confirmed the party's backing for Sharad Pawar, Sule conveyed her thanks in a post on X.

“Our esteemed Pawar Saheb is contesting the Rajya Sabha election as the candidate of the Maha Vikas Aghadi. I extend my heartfelt appreciation to Soniaji Gandhi, Mallikarjunji Kharge, Uddhavji Thackeray, Rahulji Gandhi, Adityaji Thackeray, Priyankaji Gandhi, Sanjayji Raut, KC Venugopalji, Ramesh Chennithalaji, and State President Harshvardhanji Sapkal for their unwavering support of Pawar Saheb's candidacy,” she stated.

Interestingly, the Shiv Sena (UBT) was notably absent from the press conference. Nonetheless, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut confirmed on X, “The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) stands united, endorsing Sharad Pawar as the Rajya Sabha candidate for the coalition.”

Previously, both Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) laid claim to the Rajya Sabha seat, but the final decision was ultimately deferred to the party's higher authorities.

The contention escalated when Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray claimed that his party, possessing the largest number of MLAs among MVA allies, should receive the seat allocation.

In response, Supriya Sule, along with senior NCP (SP) legislator Jayant Patil, met with Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday to seek his support for Sharad Pawar’s candidacy.

Given the numerical strength of the Maha Vikas Aghadi in the state Assembly, Sharad Pawar is expected to face minimal challenges in winning the election.

The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi boasts 46 MLAs—20 from Shiv Sena (UBT), 16 from Congress, and 10 from NCP (SP)—thereby positioning them to secure one seat.

Conversely, the ruling Mahayuti alliance has a total of 233 members—131 from the Bharatiya Janata Party, 57 from Shiv Sena, and 40 from NCP—and is anticipated to win six seats with the backing of nine smaller parties and independents.

The NCP has already nominated Parth Pawar, son of former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, while Shiv Sena is expected to announce its candidate either late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.

The BJP has put forth the names of Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, party General Secretary Vinod Tawde, Maya Chintaman Ivnate, a tribal leader and former mayor of Nagpur, and Ramrao Wadkute from the Dhangar community in Hingoli district.

With Sharad Pawar’s anticipated election to the Rajya Sabha, members of the Pawar family will hold five significant positions across the Parliament and Maharashtra Assembly.

Alongside Sharad Pawar in the Rajya Sabha, his daughter Supriya Sule serves as the MP for Baramati, while Parth Pawar is also set to enter the Rajya Sabha.

Furthermore, Parth Pawar's mother, Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, is likely to resign from the Rajya Sabha to contest the Baramati Assembly by-election.

Additionally, Sharad Pawar’s grand-nephew, Rohit Pawar, represents the Karjat-Jamkhed Assembly constituency as an MLA.