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News India Live, Digital Desk: The tenure of 7 Rajya Sabha members from Maharashtra is ending in April 2026, for which voting is to be held on March 16. Based on the number of current MLAs in the Assembly, the ruling ‘Mahayuti’ (BJP, Shiv Sena-Shinde, and NCP-Ajit Pawar) seems to be in a very strong position.
1. Equation of seats (Total 7 Seats)
To win the Rajya Sabha elections, a candidate needs approximately 37-38 first preference votes (This number depends on the total number of MLAs voting).
Mahayuti: Looking at the current assembly equations, Mahayuti alliance 6 seats Can win easily.
BJP is expected to benefit the most in this.
Parties of Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde are also likely to get their quota of seats.
Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA): Due to the opposition alliance (Congress, Shiv Sena-UBT, and NCP-Sharad Pawar) having less number of MLAs, they could only 1 seat Looks to be winning safely.
2. Whose tenure is ending?
Prominent names among the 7 members whose tenure is expiring include (2020 batch):
Sharad Pawar (NCP-SP)
Ramdas Athawale (RPI-A/BJP)
Udayanraje Bhosale (BJP)
Bhagwat Karad (BJP)
Priyanka Chaturvedi (Shiv Sena-UBT)
Fauzia Khan (NCP-SP)
Rajeev Satav (Congress – Currently this seat is vacant or filled through by-election)
3. Why is this a big challenge for MVA?
Breakdown of MLAs: After the split between Shiv Sena and NCP in the last two years, most of the MLAs have sided with the ruling party (Mahayuti). In the Rajya Sabha elections, only the votes of the MLAs decide the victory, hence the numerical strength is completely in favor of the Mahayuti.
Sharad Pawar’s seat: The biggest question is about Sharad Pawar’s own seat. If the MVA wins only one seat, the alliance will have to decide whether that seat will be given to Sharad Pawar or a candidate from the Congress or the Uddhav faction.
4. Role of independents and small parties
There is always a danger of cross-voting in Rajya Sabha elections. Smaller parties and independent MLAs (about 15-20) can play a bigger role in making Mahayuti’s sixth seat more secure or increasing the difficulty for MVA.