Rajya Sabha, Council Polls Spark Tussle In Maharashtra Opposition Camp

Seven Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra are set to become vacant. The Opposition has numbers to win one.

22 Feb 2026, 07:48 · www.ndtv.com

Mumbai:

The upcoming elections to the Rajya Sabha and the Maharashtra legislative council have triggered frenetic activity in the Opposition camp and sparked buzz of a tussle between the Shiv Sena (UBT), the Congress and the NCP (SP), partners in the Maha Vikas Aghadi.

Seven Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra are set to become vacant. Out of these seats, two are with the Congress, one is with the Sena (UBT) and another with NCP founder Sharad Pawar. MLAs vote in the election to the Rajya Sabha and owing to the NDA's stellar win in the 2024 Maharashtra election, six out of these seven seats are likely to go in its kitty. That leaves only one seat for the Opposition.

Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray is reportedly planning to travel to Delhi to hold discussions with the Congress high command. Meanwhile, sources said, the NCP (SP) has not been part of preliminary talks, leading to speculation about equations within the Opposition camp.

Elections to 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states are scheduled for March 16. The Maharashtra MPs retiring this year include NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, Sena UBT's Priyanka Chaturvedi, and the Congress's Dr Fauzia Tahseen Ahmed Khan and Rajani Ashokrao Patil. The other three are the BJP's Dr Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, Dhairyashil, and NDA ally Ramdas Bandu Athawale.

To win each of these seven seats, 36 votes are needed. Maha Vikas Aghadi allies can, therefore, comfortably win one seat.

Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut has said the allies will decide the issue through consultation. Earlier, Uddhav Thackeray's son Aditya Thackeray said the Sena (UBT) should get the Rajya Sabha seat based on the numbers in the Assembly. The Congress later said it should get a Rajya Sabha seat or a legislative council seat.

Raut, however, played down reports of differences between the partners. "Initial differences are normal. After all, this is politics. But we will decide by consultation. Congress's decision is taken in Delhi, while ours and NCP (SP)'s decision is taken in Mumbai. A lot will depend on Sharad Pawar's future plans," said Raut.

The Sena (UBT) has 20 MLAs, the Congress 16 and the NCP (SP) 10 in the 288-member Maharashtra assembly.

Besides the seven Rajya Sabha seats, nine seats of the legislative council are also set to be vacant. One of these is held by the Sena (UBT) chief, Uddhav Thackeray. Twenty-nine votes will be required to win each of these nine seats. With 46 MLAs between them, the Maha Vikas Aghadi allies can comfortably win one seat.

While the Congress has said it should get a Rajya Sabha seat or a council seat, the Sena UBT has said Uddhav Thackeray is the chief of a political party to push its claim.

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