In Maharashtra, talks among the opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) over who should contest the upcoming Rajya Sabha election remained active but calm, according to senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader <span class="aet-entity aet-person" data-title="Aaditya Thackeray" data-text="Aaditya Uddhav Thackeray is an Indian politician who served as a Cabinet Minister of Higher Education, Cabinet Minister of Tourism and Environment for the…” data-img=”https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Shri_Aaditya_Thackeray_-_2020_%28cropped%29.jpg/330px-Shri_Aaditya_Thackeray_-_2020_%28cropped%29.jpg” data-url=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaditya_Thackeray”>Aaditya Thackeray. With election day set for 16 March, the alliance is in discussions about its one winnable seat among seven seats falling vacant from the state, and Thackeray said there was no deadlock in negotiations.
Thackeray argued that his party should be given the seat because of its relative strength within the alliance and an informal rotation understanding among constituents. He reiterated that all partners were in communication and working toward a consensus rather than letting disagreements stall the process.
Despite those assurances, other members of the MVA have also staked their own claims. The Congress party, for instance, recently said it was ready to back Sharad Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) for the seat, framing its appeal as vital for protecting its position in the Rajya Sabha and ensuring stable opposition numbers at the national level.
Talks inside the alliance also saw Supriya Sule of the NCP (SP) meet Uddhav Thackeray to discuss possible nominations, though leaders from both sides said no final decision had been taken at that point.
As the nomination deadline approached on 5 March, the seat-sharing negotiations continued, reflecting both cooperation and competition among MVA partners as they prepared for the crucial Upper House contest.
