Sharad Pawar Gears Up For Third Rajya Sabha Term, Here’s How NCP-SP President Became Opposition’s Upper House Top Pick In Maharashtra Elections

Sharad Pawar heads to Rajya Sabha again: This time around, two Pawars are all set to enter the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra, and they’re coming from completely different sides of the political fence and even different generations.

Sharad Pawar, now 85 and the head of the family, is gearing up for his third term in the Upper House. 

Sharad Pawar all set for third term in the Rajya Sabha

Meanwhile, Parth Pawar, Ajit Pawar’s son and Sharad Pawar’s grandnephew, is about to start his very first term as an MP. By the time the Rajya Sabha elections wrap up on March 16, you’ll see three Pawars in Parliament: Sharad and Parth in the Rajya Sabha, and Supriya Sule in the Lok Sabha.

Of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing to get here. At first, the Shiv Sena (UBT) wanted the seat, since they had the most MLAs in the MVA alliance. There was a bit of back-and-forth. One Rajya Sabha MP clarified that he’d just mentioned Sharad Pawar’s wish to contest, nothing more.

This year, Maharashtra has seven Rajya Sabha seats up for grabs. The MLAs vote in these elections, and after the NDA’s big win in 2024, it’s almost a done deal that six of those seats will land in their camp.

The BJP is set to get four, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena one, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP one. That only leaves a single seat for the Opposition.

Earlier, both the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) wanted that Opposition seat. Then, Sharad Pawar’s daughter, Supriya Sule, actually went to Uddhav Thackeray’s place to ask for his party’s support.

The Congress finally got on board with Sharad Pawar’s name; word is, it was on the high command’s advice once it was clear Pawar really wanted another term in the Rajya Sabha.

How did Sharad Pawar end up as opposition’s Rajya Sabha candidate? 

Everything changed when Maharashtra Congress leaders picked up the phone and reached out to Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi in Delhi.

The Congress high command signed off on Sharad Pawar’s candidacy, deciding he’s just too important to lose—both for the opposition in Maharashtra and on the national stage. At 85, Pawar’s not just sticking around; he’s set to become the opposition’s main strategist in the days ahead.

Congress leaders had one big worry: they didn’t want the two NCP factions merging, and they definitely didn’t want Sharad Pawar joining the NDA. That would’ve been a disaster for them.

So, the state Congress pushed for clarity. NCP leaders came out with a statement, shutting down any talk of a merger. Jayant Patil, speaking for NCP SP, told the media there hasn’t even been a conversation between the two NCPs since Ajit Pawar’s death.

Another Pawar member heading to the Rajya Sabha

Parth Pawar will be elected into the Upper House on the basis of NCP MLAs in the Assembly. The Maharashtra Assembly has 40 MLAs in the NCP.

In 2019, Parth Pawar, as a contestant of the Maval parliamentary constituency, participated in the Lok Sabha election, but was defeated by Shiv Sena candidate Shrirang Barne.

Parth Pawar and Sharad Pawar are headed to the Rajya Sabha and Supriya Sule is in Lok Sabha. Within six months of assuming office as Deputy Chief Minister, Sunetra Pawar is probably to be elected to the Assembly representing the Baramati seat.

Rohit Pawar, the grand nephew of Sharad Pawar is also an MLA. The Pawars are an influential family in politics, but this is despite the fact that they have three MPs and two MLAs who belong to distinct camps.

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