Mumbai, March 4 : After hectic deliberations, the Congress on Wednesday announced its support for NCP-SP chief and former Union Minister Sharad Pawar in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for March 16.

The announcement was made at a press conference by state Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal, who was accompanied by NCP-SP working president Supriya Sule, Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar, and party legislator Satej Patil. The Congressâ?? decision is significant as the last date for filing nominations is March 5.

Sapkal said: "The Congress party has decided to support a veteran leader like Sharad Pawar in the Rajya Sabha election, as individual party interests will be secondary to the collective aim of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) or the INDIA bloc. This is also aimed at maintaining united efforts to take on the BJP."

Sapkal clarified that the Congress expects a reciprocal arrangement for the upcoming Legislative Council elections, which are scheduled for April. He noted that if the Congress supports the NCP-SP in the Rajya Sabha poll, the party would stake a claim on specific seats in the Legislative Council to maintain organisational balance.

Wadettiwar said the Congress High Command had given the â??green signalâ?? to Sharad Pawarâ??s candidacy as the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) nominee. The central leadership has instructed state Congress leaders to extend full support to the veteran leader.

Explaining the partyâ??s earlier stance, Wadettiwar said that since the Congress is a national party, the state unit had initially insisted on contesting the Rajya Sabha seat itself.

â??We had proposed that the Congress should contest the Rajya Sabha seat, while Uddhav Thackerayâ??s party, the Shiv Sena (UBT), should take the Legislative Council seat. We had conveyed this demand to our High Command,â?? he added.

However, the political equation shifted after several leaders from the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) reached out to the central leadership in Delhi. Additionally, Supriya Sule held discussions with the Congress state leadership, while coordination was also maintained with Uddhav Thackeray.

â??Sharad Pawar is a senior leader and the head of the NCP (SP). As followers of â??Aghadi Dharmaâ?? (alliance ethics), our primary goal is to ensure the Maha Vikas Aghadi remains united and strong. Consequently, our High Command -- including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi -- has decided to support Sharad Pawar for the Rajya Sabha seat,â?? Wadettiwar added.

The Congress had earlier expressed its intention to contest the Rajya Sabha election.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson and MP Sanjay Raut hinted at support through a post on X, stating: â??The MVA remains united, confirming Sharad Pawar as the MVAâ??s Rajya Sabha candidate.â??

However, there has been no formal announcement yet from the Shiv Sena (UBT) regarding its support for Sharad Pawar. The party has repeatedly staked its claim to the Rajya Sabha seat.

The Congress partyâ??s announcement comes hours after the BJP announced nominations for Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, party general secretary Vinod Tawde, Maya Chintaman Ivnate, a tribal leader and former Mayor of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, and Ramrao Wadkute, who belongs to the Dhangar community from Hingoli district.

The ruling Mahayuti alliance has 233 members in the state Assembly -- 131 from the Bharatiya Janata Party, 57 from the Shiv Sena, and 40 from the NCP -- and is likely to win six seats, with the support of smaller parties and independents, whose number stands at nine.

The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has 46 members -- Shiv Sena (UBT) 20, Congress 16, and NCP (SP) 10 -- and can therefore secure only one seat.

/IANS