Nationalist Congress Party leader Sunetra Pawar filed her nomination for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections on Thursday.
The election date for ten vacant Rajya Sabha seats are yet to be announced. Polling is due for two seats each in Assam, Bihar and Maharashtra and one each in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tripura.
“The party’s core group members have unanimously decided on her candidacy,” senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Praful Patel said in a social media post. “With her vast experience in public life and social services, we are confident she will be a strong representative for our party in the Rajya Sabha.”
Sunetra Pawar, the wife of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, lost the recently-concluded Lok Sabha polls from the state’s Baramati seat to Supriya Sule of the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar.
Sule is the daughter of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Sharad Pawar and cousin of Ajit Pawar.
Chhagan Bhujbal, an MLA from the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party, said that he had hoped to contest the Rajya Sabha seat but the party decided after discussions that Sunetra Pawar was the appropriate candidate, reported The Indian Express.
“Several people, including me, wanted that seat, but after discussions, we have decided that Sunetra Pawar should be sent to the Rajya Sabha,” he told the newspaper. “I am not at all upset by this decision. We have taken this decision for the party.”
In July, Ajit Pawar, along with several party MLAs, joined Maharashtra’s Mahayuti coalition government comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Ajit Pawar was then made the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra.
The move had led to a split in the Nationalist Congress Party, with one faction supporting Sharad Pawar and the other backing Ajit Pawar.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!