Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Thursday fielded party spokesperson Jyoti Waghmare for the Rajya Sabha polls amid speculation that former Lok Sabha member Rahul Shewale might be nominated.
After filing her nomination, Waghmare first expressed her gratitude to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution. "I want to say that Dr Ambedkar emphasised the importance of education, and we took that education, struggled for it, and today, our Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde has given new recognition to that struggle."
Waghmare joined the party in April 2023 following the Shiv Sena split. She was appointed as the state spokesperson and Dharashiv district contact chief.
Before entering state politics, she served as a corporator in the Solapur Municipal Corporation. Her father, Nagnath Waghmare, was a Dalit Panther activist.
Waghmare holds a PhD in English Literature. Besides, she has over a decade of experience as a college professor.
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Following her nomination, Maharashtra Minister Sanjay Shirsat said, "Our leader, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has nominated Jyoti Waghmare for the Rajya Sabha. She is an ordinary woman from a rural area, from a small village, and this is the first time she is being given such an honour. Shinde made this effort without any political consideration; neither her family nor her relatives have been involved in politics, and she had no prior political backing."
Eknath Shinde said that he was confident that Waghmare would raise Maharashtra's issues in the Rajya Sabha. "Jyoti Waghmare hails from an ordinary and poor family, and in Shiv Sena, those who do good work and work for the people receive due respect. Shiv Sena has empowered its workers... Shiv Sena is the party of workers and a party that enhances the honour of workers, and therefore, Jyoti Waghmare has got this opportunity. I am confident that she will raise Maharashtra's issues in the Rajya Sabha," he said.
Shiv Sena leader Milind Deora said, "I welcome the historic decision by party chief and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde to send a common woman to the Rajya Sabha. I am proud to say that a common woman will now work as a Rajya Sabha MP. She will raise the issues of the party and raise problems of the people of Maharashtra. As a leader of the party in Rajya Sabha, I support her candidature."
