Congress Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala spoke to Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday requesting that the only Rajya Sabha seat for the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) from Maharashtra be given to the Congress since that seat is very important for the Congress to retain its position as Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, sources said.
As a quid pro quo, the Congress leader proposed to give the vacant seat in the Maharashtra Legislative Council to Uddhav Thackeray in return for the only winnable Rajya Sabha seat for the MVA in Maharashtra, sources said.
In order to retain the post of Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, a party is required to have at least 10% of the total number of members, which would amount to 25 Rajya Sabha MPs. Presently, the Congress has 27 Rajya Sabha members, but after the elections to 72 Rajya Sabha seats scheduled to be held on March 16, the Congress fears that its strength may fall below 25 MPs in the Rajya Sabha, sources said.
The problem facing the Congress is that the Rajya Sabha terms of Congress leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Rajni Patil, Phulodevi Netam and KTS Tulsi are scheduled to end. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s will end in June. If the Congress does not retain its Rajya Sabha seats, it may end up losing its Leader of Opposition post in the Rajya Sabha, which is why the Congress is desperate to get a safe Rajya Sabha seat from Maharashtra, sources said.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MLA Aditya Thackeray stated here on Monday that there is no deadlock within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and that the only winnable Rajya Sabha must go to the Shiv Sena.
Tweeting on his X account, Aaditya Thackeray stated that discussions are on between MVA constituents regarding the Rajya Sabha election, adding that the (Uddhav Thackeray-led) Shiv Sena has staked its claim to the Rajya Sabha seat due to numerical strength and the predetermined rotation policy. He stated that all MVA parties are in touch with each other and the talks are moving in a positive direction.
Voting for seven Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra are scheduled to take place on March 16. Since the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance has a clear majority, the opposition MVA can win only one Rajya Sabha seat from Maharashtra.
In a related development, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP and chief Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut clarified that discussions within the MVA are ongoing and will continue until the last minute, adding that as the largest opposition party, the Shiv Sena’s stance will be crucial. Raut said that former Shiv Sena Lok Sabha MPs Rajan Vichare and Vinayak Raut met Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and expressed their desire to contest Rajya Sabha elections.
All three opposition MVA parties including Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, Congress and Sharad Pawar-led NCP have staked their claim to the single winnable Rajya Sabha seat from Maharashtra. In terms of strength, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has 20 MLAs, Congress has 16 MLAs, and Sharad Pawar-led NCP has 10 MLAs. Based on this, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena considers itself to be the strongest contender for the lone Rajya Sabha seat for the MVA from Maharashtra.
The Rajya Sabha terms of several prominent leaders from Maharashtra will end in April. These include Rajya Sabha terms of NCP founder Sharad Pawar, BJP’s Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, Sharad Pawar-led NCP’s Fauzia Tahseen Ahmed Khan, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena’s Priyanka Vikram Chaturvedi, Dhairyasheel Mohan Patil, Congress’s Rajni Ashokrao Patil and Ramdas Bandu Athawale (Republican Party of India-Athawale) are set to expire in April 2026.
It may be recalled that Sanjay Raut had stated earlier that Sharad Pawar is keen to seek another term in the Rajya Sabha. Raut also stated recently that Sharad Pawar will never go with the BJP-led NDA. The issue has also been discussed between Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar-led NCP leader Jayant Patil, sources said.