Upstart Seeks to Unseat the Stalwart. Aaditya Thackeray Pushes Sharad Pawar to Vacate Rajya Sabha Seat

The contest for Maharashtra’s lone Opposition Rajya Sabha seat has acquired a sharp generational tone, turning a routine numbers game into a test of leadership and influence within the state Opposition. What began as seat arithmetic has now morphed into a symbolic face off between a rising leader and a political veteran.

Backed by Sanjay Raut , Aaditya Thackeray has asserted that the Shiv Sena UBT , being the largest Opposition party in the Maharashtra Assembly, has the first right to the alliance’s only winnable Upper House berth. The Sena UBT currently has 20 MLAs , ahead of the Congress with 16 and the NCP led by Sharad Pawar with 10 , giving it numerical leverage in the negotiations.

Seven members from Maharashtra will complete their Rajya Sabha terms in April , including Sharad Pawar , Priyanka Chaturvedi , and others. However, following the Assembly elections, the Opposition’s reduced strength means it can realistically send only one member to the Upper House this time. The ruling Mahayuti alliance , comprising the BJP, the Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena and the NCP in government, commands 232 MLAs , enough to secure six of the seven seats .

While Aaditya Thackeray has maintained that Assembly arithmetic places the seat in his party’s court, the push has been widely read as an attempt by an upstart to carve out space at the cost of an established stalwart. Pawar, now 85 , has not formally declared his candidature, but his long parliamentary record and unmatched coalition building experience make him a natural claimant and a difficult figure to sideline.

Adding clarity to the speculation, senior NCP SP leader Ankush Kakade said there has been no discussion within the party about Pawar stepping away from active politics. Speaking in Pune , Kakade underlined that any decision on whether Pawar seeks another Rajya Sabha term will be taken solely by Pawar himself .

Raut too struck a careful note, acknowledging Pawar’s stature while reiterating the Sena UBT’s claim. He pointed out that election to the Rajya Sabha requires 37 first preference votes and that while the Opposition can ensure one victory , the arithmetic does not currently support a second seat. Any final call, he said, would be taken collectively by alliance leaders .

With the Election Commission set to notify the polls on February 26 and voting scheduled for March 16 , the tussle highlights a deeper question confronting the Maharashtra Opposition. Should it rely on the experience of a master tactician or signal a generational shift by elevating a younger face.

For now, amid competing claims and political messaging, one fact remains uncontested. The final decision on Sharad Pawar’s Rajya Sabha future will be his alone .